


Fate/Loved by Vengeance

by VenomousQueen



Series: Loved by Vengeance [1]
Category: Fate/Grand Order
Genre: ELISABETH BATHORY HAS BEEN REPLACED BY JAMES MORIARTY AS OF 5/09, F/M, ROBIN HOOD HAS BEEN REPLACED BY KARNA AS OF 5/09, Robin Fea is the name of the Female Protagonist!, a biiiiiig slice of life kind of fic but theres gonna be plenty of fight scenes and ANGST, i will give warnings accordingly before each chapter OR diary entry!, it looks intimidating but its not i promise, lots of angst is planned for the future im sorry jsdkxzh, thank you again for taking the time to read this!!, the Female Protagonist is tagged as the Fem!Master OC Self-Insert to differentiate from Bryn!, the name of the fem!master oc is Bryn!, there are several other OCs for the other masters, there might be a lot of chapters but half of them are short diary entries!, this is generally a really cute and happy fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-17
Updated: 2019-07-12
Packaged: 2019-11-15 16:32:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 24
Words: 39,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18076976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VenomousQueen/pseuds/VenomousQueen
Summary: What was going to be an ordinary study abroad program in France for Robin Fea, with a looming Holy Grail War, soon turned hectic as not only was she chosen to be a Master by the grail, but her best friend, Bryn. Robin summons her servant, an Avenger, who completely contradicts her gentle motherly demeanor and love for pastel aesthetics and making people happy. How did someone so mediocre as she summon an Extra class servant? What does this mean for the war, let alone herself? How will she and her servant get along with one another as polar opposites?





	1. Diary Entry 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "jungle" is the equivalent to vine! as in the app

The rattling of the train taking me to campus is enough to make me ill. I hate motion sickness… oh! If this is my first entry in this notebook, I might as well introduce myself. My name is Robin Fea, and I’m a sophomore in college. I’ve been studying magic for about six years now, and my fourth semester in college is a study abroad program in… you guessed it: France! Awkwardly enough, I know approximately ZERO French, which is really embarrassing. I know English and Spanish and just the weaboo basics of Japanese. I think, in French, I know “Hello”, “Baguette”, and “How are you”, and that’s it. Wow… I hope my professors don’t teach in French.

Maybe while I’m here, more info on the upcoming Holy Grail War will come out? My brother has been talking about it nonstop. He was in the last war and did pretty well, but Orion didn’t stand a chance against that other master’s Berserker. Despite still having his command seals, he’s not participating this time around like a loser (not like he can). I want to participate in his stead, but whether or not the Holy Grail will choose me to be a master is another question. I’m hoping that my extensive studying will be enough to satisfy whoever/whatever controls the odds of getting command seals. I already have a relic if the opportunity comes! I’ve been dreaming about who I might summon… maybe Cu Chulainn? Altria Pendragon? I don’t think I could summon the King of Heroes with my relic… it’s just a string. Not even a whole piece of rope; just a strand as thin as a hair. Nonetheless, I have it preserved in a box. Even if I don’t become a master, I’ll have a sick string of rope!… It really sounds stupid now that I say it. The glass case is currently on my lap just chilling… me too.

I’m hoping I get to campus soon, though! The time change from America to France is enough to kill a man. As soon as I get to my dorm, I’m taking a nice long nap. I just hope my nerves don’t catch up to me when I get there. The school uniform they have isn’t very flattering on someone my width, but my friend Bryn looks cute in it! I guess she has one thing going for her. I think I can spruce it up with my pastel pink cardigan and makeup… I hope.

Anywho, Bryn is my best friend from high school! From here on out, if I write “B”, I’m referring to her. We met through my brother, Trevor (aka Orion's master), and we’ve been friends ever since! She’s coming to study abroad too, but she’s not on my train. If she was, this travel diary entry would have to wait! We’d be sharing memes left and right, I’m sure of it… that is, if we weren’t both exhausted by the back-to-back flight to France and train ride to campus.

Speaking of which, the flight was super fun! We listened to silly songs and tried to contain our laughter as we watched R.I.P Jungle videos. I’m sure our hopping in our seats and wheezing bothered everyone, but we didn’t care at the time. Oh goodness, I can see the campus from here! It looks like a medieval castle… Wish me luck!

-Robin


	2. New (French) School *In France!*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Milly Bonka is this world's equivalent to "Willy Wonka"! Just an fyi :">

Robin stumbled out of the train which stopped in front of the exquisite campus. With several packed suitcases glued to her sides after anxiously trying to pass through the tight crowd, she took a quick breather and had her first thorough look around. There were students in identical uniforms to her wandering around the train station or the campus square. _“Maybe I shouldn’t be standing in the middle of all the traffic”,_ Robin thought. Facing her fears, the sheepish student approached the towering doors of the school. If it was one enormous building, were the dorms in there? They had to be, right? While lost in thought, a staff member of some sort stopped her in her tracks before she could walk through the door. Apparently there was a glass wall beside the entrance kind of like what movie theater would have.

“Excuse me, miss!”

The anonymous ticket-seller-looking lady chimed. Robin gave a soft, startled gasp and turned to face the woman with an apologetic expression.

“I’m so sorry! I was-… sorry, what is it?”

The brunette stuttered. She was secretly relieved that the woman spoke English, albeit with an accent. That was inevitable, but thankfully, the girl could still make out what the person was saying. The lady continued to smile and went on to finish her sentence as if she were programmed that way.

“Welcome to the College for the Magical Arts! This is the France Campus. May I see your student ID?”

Complying, Robin dug through her especially cute lilac ita bag filled with miscellaneous merchandise and pulled out a tiny wallet. Fishing through said wallet, she muttered an apology before handing over her ID. The woman behind the counter gave a nod.

“Oh! You’re here for the study abroad program. Bonjour! You must have come a long way! America to France… what dedication for magic!”

They mused. Robin’s cheeks flushed a bright red as she grinned.

“I guess you can say that, yes!”

“Your dorm is on the seventh floor, Miss Robin Fea. It is a single-student room, and the commons are down towards the left. The bathrooms and showers are shared by all of the seventh-floor residents and there is a kitchen on the fourth floor. Your ID is your key to your room and the rest of the utilities in the common area. Have a wonderful semester!”

As soon as the woman returned her ID, Robin thanked her and made a run for it inside before she could hold back anyone else. A room all to herself… wow! She had always wanted to have her own dorm, but this meant she couldn’t room with B. Thankfully, her friend wouldn’t be too far.

The scenery inside the school took her by surprise. It really was a castle! Gorgeous columns, breathtaking architecture… she could go on forever about this place! Now to find out how to get all the way up to the seventh floor. She had overheard a student say there were only eight floors, so if that was the case, she was practically on the tippy top floor. Was there an elevator? …Yes! That elevator definitely saved her from having to haul two overly-stuffed suitcases up several flights of stairs.

Robin was in room 713 out of 799, so thankfully the journey from elevator to dorm wasn’t horrendous. She had time to check her phone!…As soon as she got to her room, that was. It was a tiny space with a twin-sized bed to the right, a desk against the wall on the left, a closet on the right hand side of the door, and an open space across from it that had two dressers tucked inside. This called for a signature Robin Fea Makeover! This day was getting better and better!

How could things be any better? A ding from her phone, obviously! It was a text from B! It read: “YO DUDE I’M HERE. ROOM 413!!!!!!”. That was a good three floors down, and she had already felt self-conscious enough after stuffing her fat petunia in the elevator once today. “I don’t want to clog up the stairwell, either… a lot of people are moving in today, and I don’t wanna bother or interfere…” As the teen paced about the parameter of her dorm room, she showed no signs of stopping.

“Are there already masters here? What if they judge me? Am I too big to be a Master? Do I have to be physically fit to have command seals and participate in the Holy Grail War?”

For a moment, her worries were halted by what she could only describe as a coincidence. Enough worrying! There was plenty of daylight left; it was now or never!

“I’m gonna do it! I’m gonna conquer my fears of interacting with new people and I’m gonna go to B’s house—or dorm—warming!”

She declared. What an outstanding burst of confidence! With an imaginary crowd cheering her on as she marched out of her room with cell phone in hand, she made her way to the elevator overflowing with students old and new, or French and…not? Oh. Wait, is that racist? Instead of that flamboyant facade, she reverted to the cloistered girl she was. Hands by her sides and feet tapping in rhythm, the voyage from the seventh floor to the fourth was brought to a relieving finish.

“Thank goodness… I was starting to get claustrophobic. Was I taking up too much room?”

Robin sighed to herself and followed the directional signs placed perfectly on the walls. The fourth floor was like an endless maze with no light at the end of the tunnel from the perspective of the elevator’s exit. Much to her relief, B’s room was only 413 and not something terrifying like 488. Like the seventh floor, there were several common areas only accessible with an appropriate ID. Her ID was registered for the areas on the seventh floor, right? It had to be if she got into her dorm with no complications. One less staff member to contact!

Well, there was one person she had to talk to, but that was actually someone she wanted to talk to, let alone someone she was comfortable talking to, and that person was none other than Bryn! Robin knocked on the standard-looking door with the number 413 on it and was immediately greeted by a beaming Bryn and the iconic “YOOOOO!”

“You made it! Come on in, bro!”

B welcomed and directed Robin inside. Seeing as it was only the first day of move-in, she didn’t expect much to be done decoration-wise, but to her surprise, it already felt like B’s humble abode. There were posters almost everywhere, as well as her tea kettle in the corner, galaxy-themed bed sheets, fairy lights, snacks under the bed, and a closet stuffed with clothes and other essentials. It was an understatement to say this campus was lenient with what you could do with your dorm… and Robin hadn’t even started remodeling yet!

“You already decked out the place! I thought for sure I was going to finish decorating before you.”

Robin teased. The shorter girl laughed,

“I’ve been working on it non-stop. I still need to decorate the closet-”

“Wait, you’re decorating the interior of your closet?!”

The portly brunette interrupted, and the two exchanged grins.

“Uh, yeah! Gotta set up my full-body mirror so I can pose before classes!”

B flipped her short black hair back over her shoulder, earning a grin from her friend. After a moment, B introduced a new topic of conversation.

“Are you ready for the first day of classes?”

Robin frowned and averted her gaze while she fiddled with her fingers,

“I barely made it into the building without feeling like the blueberry girl from Milly Bonka. Classes are intimidating on their own, and so is the Holy Grail War.”

B nodded and continued asking questions while also unpacking.

“You think you got what it takes to be a master, Rob? Legit, like, the thought of it is so wild. I’m sure I’d make it into history books for being one of the youngest masters or something.”

Robin gave a gentle smile,

“I would too, I would think! If I do become a master, though, I’d be really honored. At the same time, that’s kind of a weird thing to say… I have all the blood I need for summoning, I even have a relic, but what good is it if I don’t become a Master? If I do become one, I don’t want to be the first one out. I would hate for six years of studying to go to waste that easily.”

“You got a really strong plan. I got a relic too, but I don't plan on getting blood the way you have. Either way, I’m here for school, not for worrying about whether or not I’m going to get my own command seals this time around.”

Bryn had an excellent point. Being here in France was for the guaranteed study abroad program, not the slim chance of becoming a Master, taking an absence from school to participate in the war, and making a wish on the Grail. Oh man, Robin hadn’t thought that far ahead… what was she going to wish for if she got the Grail somehow? The answer was surely in her heart; she just had to pull it out some other time.

“You’re right. We’re here for school, not for the war. Goodness… who knew I’d be learning something before classes even started?”

With an exchange of laughter, Robin went back to her dorm. She had to decorate now, which might take a while. With classes quickly approaching, she didn’t have a lot of time to be thinking about the war, but… would she even become a Master and have her own Servant? Why was she here? To learn, or to have higher chances of getting command seals? She’d sort it all out. Eventually.


	3. Diary Entry 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: mentions of blood!!!

Moving into dorms was way too exhausting... I really wish my parents were here helping me unpack, or maybe even Trevor and his servant, Orion, but there was no way they were gonna fly to France and back to America. I doubt my parents could afford those tickets... but that doesn't matter; my room's all set! My closet has a decent supply of uniforms and jackets for when it gets cold, and I even managed to fit my Ciao Cat hamper in there, too! My bed spread is also Ciao Cat, and I got some bed raiser thingies to hold it up higher so I can fit stuff underneath my bed. The only advantage of a twin-sized bed is being able to have the cutest bed sheets ever, and that's about it.

I was trying to put some fairy lights up around the right side of the room where my bed is, but I wasn't going to risk falling and breaking my spine. My lace pastel backpack is tucked underneath my desk, which has my laptop, a mirror, my travel makeup box, and— crap! My jars of blood! ... don't ask. Summoning Servants is a hassle. I've been acquiring this since high school; I hope to GOODNESS that it's enough for the ritual.

Speaking of summoning, the first day of classes were today! We didn't talk too much about summoning, but it's fun to have Bryn in almost every class. I don't think I'm going to like the Heroes and Villains class... the professor's kind of stuck-up, and seems biased against negatively-aligned servants. He even said that those who summon chaotic or evil-aligned Servants are practically doomed, and a chaotic evil Servant will just eat up your soul until you, or it, eventually dies. I really don't like how pessimistic he is towards chaotic and/or evil Servants. They're Servants, too! Maybe he just had a bad experience and wants us to avoid them? Either way, it's almost completely random who you summon, or if you manage to summon at all. It's just the first day, so I'm sure we'll learn more about the summoning process later on, but I'm praying the professor doesn't keep this bias up. It's going to ruin the whole class... and I'm too nervous to speak up about it.

Do you think I'm being too nice? Like, if I summoned a Berserker, I'd love them just as much as if I summoned someone like Jeanne D'arc! Are you not supposed to? Just writing that makes me feel uncomfortable... I believe the Master should love their Servant no matter what alignment they are, even an Avenger. Goodness, Avengers. I don't know of many, and as far as I know, no Avenger has ever been summoned during a Holy Grail War, but they're über powerful! Granted, I think they're only strongest against Rulers, but that means an Avenger could pummel a servant like Amakusa! Wait, I don't think a Ruler has ever been summoned during a Holy Grail War either... never mind.

I told Bryn how I felt about the professor's bias, and she said she caught onto it too! We talked about it over some Erapan mac and cheese while we waited for our next class about French literature. I'm not sure how that's important to a master's course load, but I'm sure I'll see why when I get there. It's like when I had to take a math class for this even though I'm not majoring in math. Oh wait, we ARE in France... it makes sense for them to want to teach us about their literature, huh?

The rest of the day was same old same old with the Heroes and Villains professor hanging on my mind. Can you really just stereotype a Servant by their alignment? It isn't fair! I want to show him that he's wrong, I really do, but I have no idea how I'm gonna do it... it's not like I'm gonna summon a chaotic-evil servant my first time. No matter who I get with my absurdly large amounts of blood (I'm never telling what kind), I'm going to prove that guy wrong. Wish me luck!

-Robin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ciao Cat = "Hello Kitty"  
> Erapan = "Panera Bread"
> 
>  
> 
> i hope you enjoyed!! ♡


	4. Master's Basics

“Please open your books to page fifteen. You’ll see a few sample sketches of what some current and past command seals, or spells, look like.”

Robin did as the Masters Basics professor instructed, and watched as everyone mechanically did the same. The textbook was, thankfully, thin and inexpensive, but the text was small, and all the words swam across the pages. She should really invest in some coffee... it was probably the jet lag.

Bryn had her pink highlighter in hand, already making notes in the margins of her own textbook. Robin planned to do that later so that she could hear everything the professor said without being distracted, but maybe keeping herself occupied with taking notes would help her stay awake. These command seals all came in different shapes, but all had a similar color of crimson. Was that just a coincidence? Did it have anything to play in the fact that blood is used in summoning a servant?

Robin interpreted these designs as henna given to masters by the Grail itself. The Grail bestowed these seals to masters, right?

“Each Master is given three command seals when they summon their Servant. However, there are many people with several more seals. Can anyone tell me how they are acquired?”

_Because they slay a Servant and/or Master? Something along those lines?_

“They slay the Master, not the Servant. The victim’s command seals are then transferred to the culprit. It can be easy to spot the culprit if you can sense their magical aura or recognize their command seal design by heart, but remembering that intricacy is uncommon. Besides, most masters go out of their way to hide their seals from public view. There is also an instance where a Master can cut off the victim’s hand, and take the seals that way.”

Ew... that’s kind of nasty. It didn’t help that the professor noted that this method was more common than killing the Master outright. If she were planning to summon, she needed to invest in some gloves. Ciao Cat mittens, maybe?

Bryn was scribbling notes in her notebook while Robin had her phone out to record the lecture. Why not take notes _and_ record the lecture? Maybe next time. It was only day two. That meant the Holy Grail War was soon!

“As you all may know, the Holy Grail War is about to commence. The Grail will be selecting masters that it finds worthy to fight for its power to grant any wish...,”

Everyone was sitting at the edge of their seats. Who didn’t want to have a wish granted by the Grail? Robin hoped they were all good wishes, and not something like “kill all the heteros” or something like that. Even if someone just wished for good grades, that would be fine.

“however, I doubt any of you will be chosen, considering you’re all still rookies. That, and I don’t recognize any Mage family names. Hmm... Fea, maybe? Do we have a Fea here?”

Way to single a student out in front of a lecture hall of power-hungry teenagers! Bryn leaned towards Robin who was sitting next to her and wheezed. Robin grinned in return, and hesitated to eventually raise her hand. It took a while for the professor to finally see her tiny hand in the crowd, but he eventually pointed her out with an “Aha!”. Was her brother really that well-known?

“We have a Fea here! I take back part of what I said. If anyone has any chance of getting a set of Command Seals, it’s her.”

Daggers stared into her from every direction, and she cowered in her seat. Subconsciously, she hid her hands in her giant sweater cuffs and put her head down on her desk. Her friend was there to put a hand on her back as a sign of support, but it only helped so much. She wanted to keep her hands, please!

A chubby white girl with curly brunette hair, pink makeup, big black glasses, a pastel pink cardigan with pins on one breast, and a uniform that made her look way too big... was now the center of attention. This was the complete opposite of what she wanted when she asked to meet new people. Her flushed cheeks made matters worse; she felt like she was about to cry.

“Hey, it’s okay, Robin! If anyone tries to bully you, I’ll fight them outside Benny’s.”

Bryn reassured. Robin, with her face still hidden, smiled before turning her head to face her friend with a perplexed expression.

“Do they have Benny’s in France?”

Her friend paused for a moment,

“They’ve gotta have some equivalent.”

That was an acceptable answer. Unlike in high school, the teacher actually dismissed the class, not the bell. With a brief farewell and good luck to all the potential masters, the two friends packed up their things and headed for the dorms for the day. Robin clutched her Ciao Cat notebooks to her chest to cover the tear stains that managed to get on her white polo, while Bryn took out her phone to check social media. The Holy Grail War was, of course, trending.

“Do you think you’re going to get a set of command seals, B?”

Robin spoke up. Bryn took a while to acknowledge the question, but shrugged it off and turned off her phone before putting it in her skirt pocket.

“I mean, I dunno. No one in my family is a mage.”

“But you always get top of the class! In regards to grades, anyway.”

Bryn chortled,

“You think my good grades will get me a sick tat from the Grail? That’d be the day.”

Admittedly, no one ever called Command Seals “sick tats”, so Robin couldn’t help but laugh. Bryn smiled to herself in success.

“It’d be weird not to have my friend be a Master, too... maybe I shouldn’t talk like I know for sure I’m getting command seals until I know I have them. Then, we won’t have to worry about it.”

A random student came up to the two friends; stopping them in their tracks. The girl had perfectly straight blonde hair and blue eyes.

“You really don’t think you, a Fea, will get a set of Command Seals?”

Her voice was hoarse and threatening, and Robin couldn’t help but take a step back. Bryn did the same, but only to stay by her side. Robin was stumbling with words, trying to find something to say-

“Of course you’re going to get chosen. Don’t act like the victim.”

She wasn’t trying to play the victim! The back of her throat began to burn, and her lip quivered. Dang nabbit, not again! Bryn looked to the mystery girl, then to Robin, then back. This time, someone actually kept their ground.

“Leave her alone.”

Bryn defended. The girl seemed unfazed and walked by them, but not without shoving Robin slightly. She gave a sigh and kept walking.

“I’m sorry about that, Rob. Let’s just go to my dorm, okay?”

It would’ve been a bad idea to leave Robin in her dorm by herself, and Bryn, knowing her as long as she had, knew this. Robin nodded and kept her head down, mumbling an appreciative “thank you”.

“Of course, dude! Homies cover homies!”

Typical, but Robin grinned. Would she be able to do homework on her friend’s desk? She had to do some reading for her French Literature class, and Bryn probably did too if she didn’t do it already. It was just the first chapter of The Count of Monte Cristo, but the language went over her head.

Both of them did their homework in Bryn’s crammed dorm, but claustrophobia didn’t seem to bother them. Every now and then, they’d blurt out questions they had on their homework, and do their best to answer each other’s questions.

... Robin got to thinking. What was she going to do if the Grail didn’t select her best friend? She couldn’t do this alone! Well, if Bryn didn’t get chosen, that’d mean they didn’t have to eventually fight... would she have to fight her? She tried to hide a whimper and wiped her glazed eyes with her sweater sleeve. That would have to wait; it was homework time now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Benny's = Denny's !
> 
> i hope you enjoyed!! ♡ please stay tuned!


	5. Diary Entry 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: mention of blood!! specifically what kind of blood robin has stored in her jars! its kinda gross oops

Sooo... I woke up at 2 am in pain. I know I’m a light sleeper, but waking up and hollering in agony is a different story. Okay, I didn’t “holler in agony” (this book we’re reading for class is getting to my head), but I woke up with my hand hurting! I had to turn on my phone’s flashlight to see if there was anything on my hand. I thought I, like... got a burn or something. I didn’t think command seals were supposed to hurt? Darnit, I spoiled the story! Yeah, I got three command seals on my left hand! (´∀｀)

Like my drawing? Anyway, it’s in a really pretty shape... almost like a heart with a water droplet inside? It looks so ethereal, it fits my aesthetic to a tee! Unfortunately, I don’t know how to feel... I’m not sure I should be excited that the opportunity I’ve been studying for and collecting blood for for years has finally come, or worried that Bryn doesn’t have any and I’ll have to do this alone. I think you get an excused absence for the length of the war if you get chosen to be a master, but that’s just what I’ve heard. Maybe just for some parts of it? I dunno.

I really want to tell Bryn, but it’s barely 2:30 in the morning. Bryn isn’t awake, and if she was, she would’ve texted me by now, wouldn’t she? It’s hard to go back to sleep with all this on my mind, so I guess I’ll just stay snug in my bed and listen to the rain noises coming from my noise machine in the corner... so nice...

___~~\~\~~~_~_~_

Oh my goodness!!! I scribbled all over my paper on accident! I’m sorry! I don’t know why I’m apologizing to my notebook! Sorry! B texted me just a few minutes ago with a picture of her command seals! To me, it looks kind of like a bear’s foot print? Maybe fire? Either way, it looks super neat! Now that I think about it, each master has their own unique command seal design. If I remember from the reading for Masters Basics, one command seal is used every time you command your servant to do something... but with a special incantation? I might have to reread, but that sounds right.

The jars of blood are still on my desk, and my window blinds are always open. I hope no one saw them! You’d have to have either really good eyes or a telescope to see it, though; I’m on one of the highest floors. I’m not looking forward to making the summoning circle with all that year-old blood... I feel sick. It’s kinda gross what it is, but I was NOT going to kill anything to get blood to summon a servant.

It’s, how do I say this lightly... it’s period blood. I had a routine, but I’m NOT going to write that part down. I’m just glad I get to stop doing it now! Will five jars of it be enough? Was that overkill? Why am I getting so anxious about it all of a sudden? What’s done is done. I am thankful for being thought of as worthy by the Grail, or maybe I’m just lucky that Trevor’s my brother. He still has his command seals, but if I remember correctly, he told me they turned purple like bruises and don't actually work. Orion is still with him, but I guess the torch has been handed down to me? Or... up? Since... never mind.

Now I have to study up on how to make a summoning circle, what to recite, etc. etc. I’m so nervous that I’m not gonna do it right, but if I think like that, then I WON’T do it right! I gotta really start believing in myself more. It’s a process... but I think I’m getting better at it! I’m definitely happier than I was four years ago, so that’s all that matters. I’m not looking forward to all this studying... wish me luck!

-Robin


	6. Learning To Summon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: there is a brief mention of blood!

The class was bustling with murmurs and occasional laughter over the anticipated Holy Grail War. Robin kept mostly to herself, aside from the occasional glance over at Bryn who sat next to her and did the OK-hand on top of her notebook. The friend’s muffled grins joined in with everyone else’s until the Master's Basics hammered his fist on his desk like a judge’s gavel.

“Gather together, everyone. I know you are all eagerly awaiting to hear news on the war. In commemoration for the selection of Masters, my lecture today will be about the summoning ritual of a servant. If you read the syllabus, this topic was supposed to be saved for next week, but since I know there’s a Fea in the class, I’ve had a change of plans.”

Why change the curriculum over a single student? Let alone because of their last name? It didn’t matter too much; she needed to learn this eventually, so it was a blessing in disguise. All of this unwanted attention was fired her way again, and the person on the other side of her managed to peek at the command seals on her left hand which was hidden in her sleeve.

“You really got command seals?!”

The guy sounded really excited. In a panic, she shook her head.

“I-It’s henna! I was going to give some of the children in town a henna tattoo.”

As if on cue, she whipped out a bottle of brown henna from her lilac ita bag. Her ita bag served as a purse; holding her phone charger, snacks, and other essentials she may need when out and about. Her makeup bag was also tucked in there, but she had run out of concealer the day before, so she couldn’t use that to cover her seals. Anxiety washed through her as she remembered that she had little to no concern this morning as to whether anyone saw her command seals. What was she thinking at 7 in the morning?

The guy next to her seemed to buy it and nodded. The reason Robin had henna was because she actually was going to give henna tattoos to children in town who wanted to feel like cool Masters! Summoning a Servant should be her priority, but making others happy was always her go-to. She had time, right? No one had summoned their Servants yet, and no one would really know unless a congregation came out and said something on the media.

Class began with discussion on the blood used to create the summoning circle. Check! Honestly, she was beginning to feel like she had too much blood, seeing as the example in the book had an illustration of someone slitting their palm. Squatting over in the morning to collect menstrual blood in Mason jars was somehow better than having to cut yourself. Never again.

“On page twenty three, there is an illustration of the typical summoning circle. Notice the intricacy of the lines, especially with the writings. Thankfully, the shapes only consist of triangles and circles, so there’s one thing you don’t have to worry about.”

 _What about squircles? Or rhombovals?_ The class erupted in laughter.

“No, there’s no such thing as “squircles” or “rhombovals”. Remember that your summoning location matters. Depending on what Servant you wish to summon, you may need to go to a particular place. For example, if a Servant was a sailor in their lifetime, go to a sea port or beach if either is accessible. Of course, you would need knowledge on the Servant you are trying to summon.”

Robin forgot about that part. She was just going to go far away, but maybe there was a place that she could go to and be alone. Maybe being alone for a summoning wasn’t the smartest choice, but it may increase her chances of summoning a high-ranking Servant. Not that she really wanted a high-ranking Servant or anything! She convinced herself that she would be wholly satisfied with whomever she managed to summon, even if its alignment was chaotic, evil, or chaotic-evil. Hmm... now that she thought about it, her endeavor to prove a point to her Heroes and Villains professor grew a tad stronger.

“To prevent errors in your summoning circle, Masters typically use chalk or a stick depending on their location and what they can get ahold of. The incantation for the ritual can be found on page twenty-five. Keep in mind what you say during this part. There are different phrases inserted into certain places depending on the particular class of Servant you are attempting to summon. No failed summoning attempts have been recorded, but if you mess up, your failure may go down in history.”

A chill ran throughout the entire class. That would be too humiliating! What if she messed up and all of this blood was for nothing?! No... she wouldn’t mess up. She’d study for this endlessly until she couldn’t keep her eyes open! Was that a bit too rigorous? Bryn seemed a bit anxious as well, and Robin felt bad for not being able to think of something reassuring right away.

“As long as we bring our books, we’ll be fine.”

She whispered to her friend. The raven-haired girl nodded and gave a warm smile in appreciation. All the while, the professor continued.

“I’m sure you all know, but in case you don’t: put your relic in the middle of the circle. The relic is pretty much a requirement,”

The professor took a moment to chuckle, as if everyone else would chime in. The students were unamused,

“Your relic is the connection to the Servant. If you already know who the relic belongs to, then your chances of summoning that Servant is guaranteed. It looks like class is over, so you’re all dismissed. Best of luck to the selected Masters in the room, if there are any.”

This was way more complex than she thought. Robin took out her glasses case and wiped the lenses clean before sliding her books into her backpack and scurrying out the door with Bryn following behind.

“Is something up?”

Her friend asked. She understood why she’d be concerned, but there wasn’t much to be concerned about.

“I don’t like being in classrooms for too long after class ends. The people for the other class start coming in; it’s like trying to get out of the pool as fast as you can after the life guard blows the whistle.”

Bryn understood and patted the brunette on the shoulder.

“I feel that.”

Unlike their usual routine of camping out in the shorter one(totally not Rob)’s dorm, they went to their respective rooms. Cramming all of this information from Masters Basics was going to be stressful, but at least she could use the book during the ritual! Now to plan out how this was all gonna go down.


	7. Diary Entry 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> no warnings to report ! enjoy! ♡

I WAS going to give henna tattoos to the children of the town nearby, but I was completely caught off guard by my studies! I’ve never been so exhausted... I’ve been practicing drawing miniature sketches in my notebook, and even writing down what I have to say for the incantation! It’s like... “Heed my words!” something, something, something. There’s so much to say, but I know for a fact that I’m gonna use my textbook as a crutch. Here’s a sketch of the summoning circle for reference!

 

Dang, that’s practically perfect! Hours of practice and studying really pays off!

Bryn told me that talk about the Holy Grail War on social media was on fire about a rider Servant sighting... masters are already summoning, huh? I guess that means Bryn and I better get to it, then. I’ve been planning out what I’m gonna do. My professor keeps talking about this abandoned jailhouse somewhere deep in the woods, so I think I’m going to go there. I looked up pictures, and it honestly looks like this big building in a town! The town is barren, of course, but still.

I have my relic too, which I’m surprised I haven’t written more about. I got it from my brother who said it was just a thread of rope he found on the floor of one of the cellars in some ward he visited when he came to France to talk to the Prime Minister. Does France still have Prime Ministers? I keep forgetting how famous Trevor is. He still has Artemis and Orion; he only used one of his command seals, and if servants weren’t killed in combat, they could stay with their master even if the master used all their seals. It’s almost like an eternal pact to stay with each other till the end... and I think that’s so lovely! I promise to take care of my Servant for the rest of my life! 💖

The jars of blood are in my ita bag, and I really wish they weren’t. I’m not hauling my backpack all the way to that jailhouse, though. I made sure to tie them up in a shopping bag in case they spill, but... I’m not looking forward to this. Could I wear a glove instead of dipping my hand in there? It’s gonna be so nastyyy!! I’ll be alright drawing the summoning circle; I have a piece of chalk I got from the school store, and I’m obviously bringing my textbook.

Maybe it’s just me, but the incantation sounds really mean? It’s almost like- well, a command! I don’t want to sound demanding towards my Servant... everyone seems to treat them like objects. They were people once too! We still need to treat them like one! Is that so wrong? I’m probably going to give my own word before I go and read from the book or, hopefully, recite the incantation from memory.

Now that I think about it, I think the tiny strand of rope is going to get lost in the blood that I use to make the circle. I’m imagining like, putting it in the middle and then it just sinks into the blood. Would it still work? I really hope it does... Oh! I wish the best of luck to all masters when they summon their Servant! Summoning can take a lot out of you, so I hope they bring some water and snacks with them to prevent them from losing consciousness either before, during, or after the ritual! I got my water bottle and peanut butter balls in my ita bag, so I’m all set.

I think I’m gonna summon tonight after I know for sure Bryn has gone to bed. I hope she doesn’t think I’m being mean by not bringing her; I just want to do this on my own, you know? It sounds really rude, and it hurts to write, but I think I need to do this on my own. I want to reassure her that I’ll be okay, but I think that’ll be soiling the surprise... can I really call it a surprise?

Well, after I write all this down, I’m gonna wait for the “Gn fam” text and head out. I hope I don’t forget anything at my dorm or get lost... wish me luck!

-Robin


	8. The Summoning™️

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: graphic depictions of the blood used in the summoning process! please stay safe and be wary!

The “Gn fam” text had been sent. Initiate the summoning plan. Robin gathered up all the things she’d need into her ita bag and tip toed out of her dorm. It was winter, so instead of the usual pastel pink cardigan with pins, she wore a pink winter jacket that flared out around the waist like a pretty dress! The brunette had on a pair of black leather boots and black leggings with a star pattern on it, and even topped off the look with a reapplication of her favorite shimmery pink lip gloss. She felt like a pastel queen!

Leaving the building wasn’t an issue; it was trying to read the map in the dark that was difficult. Yeah, her phone flashlight worked, but the print was faded. The ink in her colored printer needed magenta, but only black ink was needed to print out the instructions. What was with that? The frigid night air froze her ears over and pressed against her face like ice cubes. Gee, she didn’t plan this too well. At least she had the necessities, like the five jars of blood! Haha! ... That was sarcasm.

The crunching of the twigs beneath her feet and the occasional scurrying of woodland creatures didn’t help. She was practically squinting at her directions, and tripped over things more often than she would have liked. She prayed that the jars didn’t spill... even though they were screwed on as tight as possible and even duck taped. Wait, then how was she supposed to open it? She didn’t plan this at all, huh?

It was right now that she wished she’d brought a friend. It’d been about thirty minutes of wandering around the woods with no sign of this jailhouse. Had it been torn down? She was beginning to doubt, and just wanted to call it quits and summon in the forest. That might cause too much attention, though... decisions, decisions.

Her phone battery was at a decent charge, but slowly fell as she continued traversing further and further away from civilization. In some odd way, she took this as a sign that she was getting closer to her destination. Robin wasn’t superstitious, but she believed everything happened for a reason; not just by coincidence. It also felt as if her phone’s flashlight was getting dimmer and dimmer... maybe she should have stuck with an easier place to summon.

Out of the blue, the flashlight shut off and the phone restarted with the all-too-familiar boot-up screen. Great. Finally taking her eyes off of the map, she looked up to see a giant building in the middle of an abandoned town. This had to be it. Two owls sat on the large sign that was illegible in the dark. Their eyes gave off an eerie glow... maybe she shouldn’t be here. Despite her nerves, she continued on, and even got as far as the front door of the building.

The girl could have sworn she heard voices coming from within. Were other people here summoning too? No, that’d be silly. As far as she was aware, no one knew about this place! Except for her Heroes and Villains professor that briefly mentioned it in lecture as being one of the most dangerous places to summon, but that wasn’t important. Robin took everything he said with a grain of salt.

The door creaked open effortlessly as she pressed her weight against the knob. That seemed a bit too easy, but it was probably because the building was said to be hundreds of years old with no renovations ever being done to it. That was also apparent by the stench. The smell of rotting wood and what she assumed to be blood stung her nostrils, but she didn’t stop. She was going to go to the top cellar. Why?

“I already came this far, I... I can’t go back,”

Her teeth chattered as she spoke to herself,

“I have to do what I came here to do, pray, and go back to the dorms. I’m-“

One of the wooden steps cracked beneath her and she jumped to the next step; watching as the plank plummeted down a good three stories. Oh. Her heart was racing by this point, not just because of all of these stairs, but the fragility of the structure. One false move, and she feared for her life.

“I can do this... I can do this!”

She whispered to herself in an attempt to lighten up her mood. She didn’t want to shout or speak too loudly in case the building collapsed or something... speaking of that, how weren’t these stairs being crushed by her weight? The girl was pretty heavy, but she assumed it was because she wasn’t as rotund as she made herself out to be.

After the dreadful trod up the stairs, the young woman finally made it to the top. Her hair was sticking to her forehead despite the bitter cold, and she wanted to fall to her knees and rest. Her quads were on fire.

“I can’t stop now! I need to keep going! I’m almost there!”

The excitement of becoming an official Master with a Servant was conquering over her pent-up fears, and she opened the cellar door. The room was isolated. There was no hallway; it was just the bars and the room beyond them. Whoever had the privilege of being kept here must have been pretty bad. Robin put her ita bag down and took out her tiny box of white chalk, her five jars of blood, and her textbook. Lugging all that up so many flights of stairs was a nightmare.

Much to her relief, the blood didn’t spill, but that meant it was going to be a pain to open. She sat herself down on the cold concrete floor and sighed. This concrete must’ve been new; everything else was solely wood. The cellar was clean and pretty wide for one cell... maybe they kept several people in here at a time? There was no graffiti, no sign of another summoning here, nothing but the strong stench of aged wood and suffering. Suffering had a smell, you know, and it wasn’t pleasant.

Oh! She almost forgot to take out her water bottle! That was going to be important. Thankfully, her and her supplies barely took up any room in the spacious cell, and she was able to set up. Her phone had successfully rebooted, and she was able to use her flashlight again. This time, she used the light as a makeshift candle to illuminate the entire room. The moon shone in from an adjacent window, but it wasn’t nearly enough for her definitely-not-20/20-vision to be able to see in the dark.

With her pink painted fingernails, she picked off the duck tape from the jars and unscrewed the lids gently. This was death incarnate. The waft of blood filled the room so quickly she gagged. The jars weren’t even opened all the way! Thankfully, the summoning circle would be pretty far from where she set everything up, so she wouldn’t be polluted by the awful smell.

Her hands were already extremely sore from picking off the tape and unscrewing the lids to the five Mason jars; she was surprised her handwork was as steady as it was. For reference, she kept her Masters Basics textbook opened to the page with the summoning circle pasted on it, and did her best to draw it out on the concrete. Was it too late now to say what she wanted to say?

After successfully drawing the summoning circle and impressing herself beyond words, she picked up her phone in order to shine the flashlight on the table of contents in her textbook. She had forgotten the page that the incantation was on, and the table of contents was the most likely place the answer would be. As she was flipping through the pages, an email notification lit up her screen and she finally got a good look at the time: 11:45 PM. This was late, especially on a school night... the girl knew she was going to hate herself in the morning.

Time for the worst part: dipping her hands in her own blood. This wasn’t just any blood, either. Just in case, she brought a large primary-school-sized hand sanitizer  bottle and paper towels. Admittedly, she had never touched blood before, but touching blood that came out of you-know-where was something out of a nightmare. Why did she do this to herself? Did she really want to avoid slitting her palm that badly?

Robin dragged one jar over to the perfectly-drawn summoning circle and took in a deep breath before plunging her hand into the container. She’d be lying if she said she didn’t scream. She forgot all about the chunks of coagulated blood and how much was really in each one. It was like trying to dig out a pickle from the pickle jar filled with pickle juice, but this was much worse.

With her coated hand, she slapped it against the concrete and traced along her chalk lines. As per usual, her OCD told her to make sure these tracings were filled as solid as a bubble on a Scantron, and she ended up using three jars of her own menstrual blood. The worst part of it all, if there were any parts of all this that weren’t, was getting the scarlet fluid on her baby pink coat. Her left hand was numb from the liquid painting it red and the wind that blew in from the window. Not to mention the building was colder inside than it was outside.

The paper towels she brought didn’t make her feel much better even after using more than half of it to get every trace of blood off of her hands and pieces underneath her nails. The hand sanitizer helped soothe her nerves regarding the germs, but not much for the stench it left on her skin. Her paper cuts on most of her fingers stung at the alcohol, but she knew it was all for a good purpose.

Now for the most intimidating part: the incantation. Wait! She had to put the jars away! She got up to use the paper towels and sanitizer, but somehow didn’t think to bring the Mason jars back with her. Getting up once again to grab them, she picked them up from the side and brought them over one-by-one to her setup. Three empty containers, an exact replica of the summoning circle pictured in her book, used paper towels blowing aimlessly across the floor like tumbleweeds, and a bottle of hand sanitizer that was already a fourth of the way gone after a single use. Maybe she should buy some detergent to-go...

Okay, NOW it was time. The brunette took a moment to calm herself down before taking out her phone from her coat pocket and opening up her textbook to the appropriate page. She put her phone on the adjacent page she was on and closed her textbook. With a shaky inhale, she finally spoke.

“This is my first time summoning a Servant, um...,”

Was this some kind of awkward confession? She gulped and continued,

“It doesn’t matter to me who you are, what you call yourself, or how you may see the world. I will do everything in my power to make you smile, if you let me. I do not want to be hard on you, and I want you to... to tell me if I am,”

Robin’s voice wavered as tears threatened to spill over,

“No matter who you are, I want you to know that you are loved. I want to be able to show you the goodness in this world, and I... oh...”

She lost trail of thought as she remembered that the Grail probably knew this. A single whimper managed to escape her throat and, through all the determination that she had, she went on.

“I don’t care what alignment you are! Chaotic, evil, good, neutral, lawful, it doesn’t matter to me! I love you for you! I don’t even... I don’t even know who you are, but... I want to tell you that... the incantation doesn’t cover everything I want to say to you...”

Give her a moment. She’s crying. Her gentle hiccups were hard to silence, but she did her best to compose herself. She opened her book and wiped her eyes with her sleeve. As she pressed the home button on her phone, the screen turned on with a cute image of Ciao Cat in front of a pastel background. She really was the Pastel Queen, huh?

Time to focus. The girl was about to read from her book until the moonlight shined on her lilac ita bag. Goodness gracious! She almost forgot the relic! The reflection of the light against the glass containing the strand was enough to catch her attention to it and she took it out. Wait a minute. The light of the moon is really just the light of the sun being reflected on the moon, so if that sunlight was being reflected onto the moon then onto the glass case... never mind.

Robin quickly tip toed over to the circle and opened the container that held her relic. She was surprised the strand didn’t fly out with all the wind, but she took it as a blessing. Pinching it between her fingers, she set it down in the middle of her summoning circle and went back over to her setup. Show time. With one hand holding the book and her marked hand extended towards the circle, she began the ritual.

“Heed my words! My will creates your body, and your sword creates my destiny,”

What if the Servant didn’t have a sword? That probably didn’t matter; her words were already taking effect.

“If you heed the Grail's call and obey my will and reason, then answer my summoning!”

Something was definitely happening! Should she stop? Her eyes wandered the page as she recited more verses, and noticed that, in fine print, it said that the “magic happens” when you put the blood on the circle. Oops.

“I hereby swear, that I shall be all the good in the world, that I shall defeat... defeat all evil in the world!”

Crap, she stuttered! Would that interfere with the ritual? It sure didn’t look like it. If anything, it looked like the circle was awaiting the next line. This was the part where the Master could insert their wishes for their Servant, more notably for a Berserker, as it said in the footnote. There on the page, in chicken scratch, was “DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, RECITE A VENGEFUL PLEA”. Vengeful? That was a weird choice of words. For some reason, she must not have been thinking clearly, or thinking without thinking, because she did exactly as the book told her not to do.

“Um...!”

Did she actually say “um”? Keep going!

“Let thine eyes see only vengeance, thy heart carry only resentment! Thy thirst for revenge greater than thy will! Seventh heaven clad, and the great words of power, come forth from the circle of bindings, Guardian of Scales!”

What had she just done? It was like she just lost control of her mouth and spoke in tongues! The atmosphere around her grew tight like a vacuum, and what looked like electricity sprawled from the circle like hands from hell begging to be let go. As if by some crude karma, shadow-like appendages burst out of a void that appeared in thin air and crawled up and around some nonexistent figure.

After a brief moment, and trying to see through the stars in her vision, she swore she could have seen a man’s silhouette among the shadows. She was in awe! She actually did it! She summoned so-

Horrendous laughter burst out of nowhere and sent her to her knees. As she looked up through hazy vision, she saw piercing yellow eyes staring through the darkness and to her core. The instability of the atmosphere began to die down as said darkness somehow got absorbed into the figure’s body. The electricity, which made no recognizable zapping noises, was even sucked up through the figure’s feet.

“You called me! The Incarnation of Vengeance! And also, the jet black resentment. Extra class, Avenger!”

The Servant's crazed eyes made Robin’s head spin, and she eventually got back to her feet.

“Oh... Oh my goodness....”

An Avenger. The definition of chaos. Right here in front of her! She summoned him! An actual Servant! The girl looked more closely and noticed his body flickering.

“Are you okay?”

She asked. The servant seemed confused by the question, as if the answer was obvious.

“What do you mean?”

He sounded defensive. The girl apologized for her straightforward question and elaborated.

“Your body... it’s like, flickering in and out of existence. Did I... did I do something wrong?”

The Servant shook his head and stepped out of the circle. This was his Master, wasn’t it? A school girl with three empty jars of blood, presumably for the summoning-- yep. He was stepping in it. A pink winter coat stained with crimson, curly brown hair, inculpable hazel eyes... this was not the kind of Master he was ever expecting to be bestowed upon. He glared at her as if she were a captive and he was the bad cop.

“You didn’t do anything wrong. Pay no mind to it.”

Robin and the Avenger inched closer and closer to the point where she could reach out and almost touch him. His wavering body seemed to steadily subside, but it concerned her nonetheless. It almost didn’t register to him that she was about to touch him, and he stepped back.

“Do not come any closer.”

She jerked her hand away at his sudden movement, but eventually put her hand to her side. Already, Robin could feel her heart yearning to help him.

“I will respect your wishes, Avenger. Ah, I... I should introduce myself! My name is Robin Fea! It’s a pleasure!”

A pleasure? Hmph. He chortled and gave her a devilish smile as if that were the only smile he could pull off.

“And you, Master.”

It was going to be weird to be called “master” by what looked like a grown man. Who was this guy? Robin knew herself well enough to know that she’ll be keeping notes and doing research about him until she came to a conclusion. There were so many questions already swimming in her head... She almost forgot to pack up!

“I’m so sorry, Avenger! I need to pick up my mess-“

She began, before several shadowy arms bloomed out of the concrete like demented flowers and began packing up her stuff. Wow... she didn’t know her jaw was agape until something forced it closed. It must have been one of the shadow hands. Robin slipped her phone into her pocket and finished her packing by putting her textbook in her ita bag.

“Thank you! That was... really convenient.”

The Servant averted his gaze at her astonishment and noticed the moon shining in. It was late... or, really early. Robin slung her bag over her shoulders and picked up her map to head back to campus.

“We’re going back to campus, is that okay? It’s kind of crowded, but... I have classes tomorrow.”

Robin sounded ashamed, and the Avenger caught onto this immediately as if he somehow knew this wasn’t her normal behavior. He followed behind his Master until they reached the exit and he proposed an idea.

“You’re not going to get to this “campus” fast enough.”

Next thing she knew, she was swooped in her servant’s arms and blinked across time and space. Instead of being right outside that jailhouse, they were right in front of the outside entrance to the dorms. The brunette was put back on her feet but her Servant was nowhere to be seen. Darn... she wanted to thank him.

As she was waiting in the elevator, she finally noticed the time: 2 A.M. Had that much time really passed? No texts from Bryn, so she was in the clear from any long explanations as to her whereabouts at two in the morning. Everything else seemed to be normal until she got to the door of her dorm and realized she left her water bottle all the way back at the cell. That was an expensive water battle!

She sulked at the loss of her water bottle, but a gust of wind rushed past her and almost knocked her off her feet. There on her desk was her water bottle! Did Avenger go back and get it?

“Thank you, Avenger!”

She hushed and gave a brief smile to herself, knowing full well no one was there to see her. Closing her door, she tossed her jacket in the hamper, whipped on some pajamas, and passed out. Tomorrow was going to be met with rigorous hand-washing.


	9. Diary Entry 5

I summoned my Servant!!!!! I cant believe I actually did it!!! And he’s an Avenger!! I want to find out his name, but he seems apprehensive about it. He disappears a lot, but sometimes I feel like he watches me doing my research. Not in a creepy way! I don’t think it’s creepy, anyway. Maybe he’s just shy.

I wonder if Bryn has summoned her Servant yet. She told me that three other Servants have been sighted, but I can’t remember what class. If your Servant has already been caught this early, what are you doing? Maybe that’s just me. I’ve never participated in a Holy Grail War, after all.

I want to get closer to my Servant, too. I only know that he’s an Avenger, he can control shadows and dark energy, and can go really fast. I don’t know anything about his Noble Phantasm, which I feel like I should, and the rest is speculation. As far as I’ve researched and looked up on forums, the Servants usually summoned in cellars have spent time in prison or captivity of some kind. If he’s an Avenger... was he imprisoned unjustly? Or did he feel like his crimes were good? I think I’ll have to read up on the definition of an Avenger.

I’ve also noticed that no other Avenger has ever been recorded in a Holy Grail War before, so being the first feels really special! I’m not sure if they’ll eventually find out who I am, so I may not get the fame. It doesn’t matter too much to me, though. I have a Servant and I love him; that’s all that matters!

I think I’m going to plan a picnic with him... Maybe we can talk about ourselves and learn more about one another! I’d like that, but I don’t think he would. He... doesn’t like the public eye very much. When I went to get breakfast, he glowered at every person he saw. Either he’s very defensive, or he really hates people. I guess I’ll have to ask him at our picnic!

Maybe it’s just me, but I feel... nervous around him. I don’t want to feel nervous around my own Servant! Is it because I don’t know his name or anything about him? Maybe we just need something to break the ice a bit... yeah! I think that’ll help us both, and if not both of us, it’ll help me. I don’t want to frustrate him though, and I don’t want to make him do something he doesn’t want to do... what kind of meanie does that? Well, wait... I’m kind of his Master. Does that mean I have to be strict with him?

Maybe if I do the readings for Masters Basics, I’ll get my answer. I’ve been so tired today, even though my class was cancelled. Bryn’s in class, but we don’t share that class together. Avenger was kind enough to bring me some coffee, though. I really don’t know how he got in, but whatever. I trust him! I hope he knows that he can trust me, too ;u;

Speaking of readings, I gotta read a few chapters in The Count of Monte Cristo for my French Literature class. For some reason, Avenger seems interested in it as well. Maybe I’ll read it to him? Would he like that? He’s sitting in my desk chair right now, looking at the little bird cage I have hanging from the ceiling. There’s no bird in it, but there’s blue flowers in it and a little swing for a bird in there! I think he likes it!

Well, I got some reading to do. Tomorrow, I plan to take my Servant out for a picnic after classes to get to know him better and hopefully find out what I can do to make him happy to be with me. Wish me luck!

-Robin


	10. The Fantastic, Whimsical Picnic

It was a wonderful day for a picnic, Robin decided. The sun was shining, students flew by on hoverboards while vaping, and the birds were singing their harmonious tune. The temperature was decent at 50 degrees (not Celcius, much to Europe's distaste), but the brunette had to stay cooped up in stuffy lecture halls until noon. What a perfect time to have lunch with Avenger!

Was she really going to go through with this? The Servant rarely made an appearance, and when he did, it was in the comfort of his Master's dorm. Would he even enjoy a picnic? Robin was notorious for having grandiose plans in her head but never letting it see the light of day. Not because she didn't like those ideas, but because of either social anxiety or laziness... oops. This plan, though, was not one she was going to let fail. She legitimately wanted to get to know Avenger better! ... Even if that meant feeling extremely uncomfortable over calling him her "Servant". He was more like a friend! A very strange, distant acquaintance... someone she knew little to nothing about.

Like his name! What is his name? That would have to be one of the questions she asks at the picnic. "Am I coming on too fast?" Robin asked herself, "I want to respect his privacy, but I also want to formally introduce myself and treat him to lunch... I hope he likes apples and sandwiches!" She didn't think this through too well. Wouldn't Avenger have noticed the picnic basket and picnic blanket she was carrying around? It was practically an eyesore in comparison to the dreary grey classroom. The basket was a typical woven one, and the picnic blanket was a fleece Ciao Cat throw, which definitely matched her motif.

At the ring of the bell, the Master's heart practically jolted. It was picnic time, and Avenger wasn't here! How was she supposed to call him?! She couldn't just announce his Servant class name in public in an attempt to summon him (ha)! "One step at a time, Robin..." She hummed to herself, before mustering up the courage to leave the classroom and head to the designated picnic location.

Hopefully no one swiped their seat; Robin hadn't thought about that. Then again, who even trodded up this far? She had found this place while exercising. Up a hill was a large oak tree and a picture perfect place to watch the stars, admire the view of the city adjacent to the college, and, yes, have a picnic! She wondered why she had never seen anyone up here before, and first assumed it was because no one wanted to walk so far, but realized it was probably because there were plenty of picnic tables scattered around campus that no one thought twice about being original and sitting on a blanket. Or because it was too cold. Was that too cruel?

As soon as she found a clearing from the crowd of students, and just in front of the turn right to head up said hill, she put on her metaphorical big girl boots and spoke.

"A-Avenger?"

Crap, she stuttered! What was up with her and stuttering? She usually never did, but perhaps it was because her nerves had been sneaking up on her more recently, especially knowing that Servants were being summoned by Masters for a war to get the Holy Grail and would be more than willing to hurt her, her friends, her Servant, and anyone who got in the way of their ambitions. There was a lot to worry about, okay!

A gust of wind unlike any other she had felt brushed through her hair as her servant materialized next to her. Brushing her now disheveled hair behind her ear, she smiled up at Avenger who had a neutral sullen expression as always.

"Hello! I have a surprise for you! I wasn't sure when to call you, or... what would it be called?,"

She went on, and he simply stared at her as he awaited her to finish,

"I'm not sure, but if you would follow me-- wait, do you want to follow me? You don't have to if you don't want; I just thought-"

The vengeful Servant cut off her rambling with a howl of laughter. Um... what was so funny? The timid grin on her face was immediately replaced with a gasp. She wasn't expecting that kind of response.

"If you have such little confidence in your demands, they will mean nothing."

"Oh,"

He was right. Gosh, he really was right. What kind of Master was she? What did the grail see in her? Okay, never mind that. It was time to get back on track. The picnic, remember?

"Well, um... would you like to walk with me?"

Avenger seemed baffled by her request. Why would she want to put herself through something like that? Before he could respond, Robin let out a soft grin.

"It's my treat. Come on, I'll lead the way."

With her ita bag over her shoulder, her backpack on, and a blanket and basket in her hands, Avenger could probably piece together what Robin was doing, but wasn't sure why she would want to do such a thing. His Master had accessorized herself with clip-on earrings of hearts despite her allergy to nickel, her typical pastel pink cardigan, and even a sheer rose pearl lip gloss. How was she not freezing? Maybe it was because she actually had meat on her bones. He was concerned about her catching cold, but she was holding up okay... for now.

The Servant hiked up the steep hill with his Master who was panting at nearly every step. It was quite a walk, but it was nothing he couldn't handle. When they finally reached the top, Avenger's attention was instantly hooked by the view below. Tall buildings protruded through the sky and people were so far away that a crowd of them looked like an ant colony. While he admired the scenery, Robin spread her blanket out across the dew-kissed grass and sat down; placing her ita bag and backpack off to the side and bringing the basket in front of her.

The rustling of the brunette's dry hands amongst the Ziplock bags wasn't enough to distract him from the view, but when Robin had pulled out a PB&J from the picnic basket along with an apple and a bottle of water to sit them comfortably in her lap, she held them out for him and tried to ignite conversation.

"I brought these for you. I hope you don't mind a picnic!"

She beamed. Avenger only turned his head to look, before completely turning her way, awkwardly grabbing the food from her, and sitting down on the blanket. The way he examined the sandwich made her worried, but she tried to distract herself by taking a bite of her own sandwich. Mmmm... peanut butter and strawberry jam... a match made in Heaven.

"Why did you do this?"

He muttered. Looks like it was time to explain herself. She put a finger up as if to say "one minute, please!" before giving him an answer.

"Well, I wanted to get to know you better, and I thought what better way to do that but a picnic? I thought formal introductions were in order, so, I... planned out an elaborate lunch outside in the dead of winter."

That last comment seemed to get a guffaw from him. At least she was being honest. Maybe there was some hope for her yet.

"Humans are so peculiar."

What was that supposed to mean, and why wasn't he eating his sandwich?

"Are you not hungry?"

She didn't mean to ask so quickly after he had finished speaking, but she noticed that he had put his food to the side. ... No response. Got it.

Robin sighed. Well, lunchtime didn't last forever. Might as well start talking, right? After putting her baggie back in the basket, she turned to Avenger who was watching her every move as if he knew she was about to speak.

"Well, for starters, my name is-"

"Robin Fea."

Yeah! Wait, how did he know that? Her confusion made him chuckle. She really had no idea what she was doing, did she?

"I already told you that, didn't I? I'm thankful I didn't forget."

She let out a sigh of relief and continued her introduction,

"I know it hasn't been long since I summoned you, but I want us to be familiar with one another! If it isn't obvious already, my favorite color is pink,"

The girl pointed out her earrings and her cardigan,

"and I don't want to come off as a worrywart. My goal in life is to bring happiness and hope to those who are having a hard time finding the light and goodness in living, and I strive to make people smile!"

Robin's sheer determination to better the lives of those plagued by the atrocities of the world struck him.

"You have not seen the monstrosity this world is, then."

He commented. Oh gosh... she didn't want to go into too much detail with this, but she went on with it.

"I may not have seen it all, but I have seen enough in my life to want to dedicate myself to saving others from these so-called "monstrosities"."

Silence loomed over the both of them as the Servant closed his eyes. As to what was going on, Robin had zero clue. It must not have been too terrible, because he broke the awkwardness. Was she the only one feeling awkward?

"You can call me Avenger. The rest is not important."

That completely ruins the point, silly. Come on, Robin! Pick it up! After taking a bite out of her granny smith apple, she tried to pry more out of him, even if it meant hating herself for it later.

"You call yourself the embodiment of vengeance. Can you tell me why? You don't have to if you don't want, I just...-"

"Like you, I have seen the atrocities of humanity first hand, but I was not spared."

Spared? Did he mean that he did not recover from his trauma? She knew enough about that. A frown was prominent on her features; once again feeling her very soul yearn to help him.

"Please eat, Avenger. If you will not take care of yourself, I will."

The sincerity in her voice made her feel like she was being too strict, but the look in his eyes spoke loudly. She could tell he was astounded by her. Her morals, her goals, and who she was as a person. What made her think he wasn't taking care of himself? Well, the reddening of his fingers against the cold was definitely one thing, as was the fact that he was excruciatingly pale. Was she going too fast? He had only been here for, like, a day! While she was degrading herself in her head, her Servant had taken a minuscule bite of the sandwich she had prepared for him. His neutral expression didn't change, but she could tell he was hesitant to eat. She was almost expecting him to ask if he had to eat the whole thing, but that was probably just her thinking way too into this.

"If you say you are my Master, then show me proof of that."

He effectively caught Robin off guard, and watched as she stumbled to find words before giving up. What was he asking for? What could she show him?

"What? Don't be nervous. I'm not expecting anything."

Oh. Hitting home, huh Avenger? She was still wondering why the Grail chose her to be a Master this time around. Why not her brother again? Why did it have to be her? She let out an inaudible whimper before averting her gaze. Did he not expect her to be a good Master? Is that what he meant? Or was he trying to settle her nerves by telling her he didn't have any expectations? This was a lot to process, and as to why she didn't feel so overwhelmed before, God only knows.

"Um... Avenger...? Thank you for tolerating my picnic! I know you probably didn't want to, but-"

"Don't assume how I feel."

Well... okay then! With that, Robin called this picnic a success, even if that meant that tears would be shed over her diary entry later.


	11. Diary Entry 6

That picnic went horrible!!!!! What was I thinking?! I just made one big fool of myself! First I've already introduced myself, then Avenger literally avoids saying anything about who he is! I came on too fast, didn't I? That has to be it; there's nothing else it can be!

He's an Avenger, anyway; I should have known he didn't like optimistic activities like picnics. Or maybe he does and I'm assuming too much? What am I supposed to do? Why did the Grail choose me?! Maybe he doesn't like me... he hasn't appeared outside of my dorm aside from the picnic, which I guess is a step in the right direction, but even if the prefect knocks on the door, he's gone. Is he just hiding so no one knows I'm one of the Masters participating in the war? Gosh, I didn't think of that... that's really smart, actually...

Dangit, now I feel bad! I'm sorry!!! Now I'm apologizing to a notebook!!! I think I'm rushing things. I should just focus on my schoolwork, do my reading for The Count of Monte Cristo (Edmond deserves so much love), and worry about how Avenger feels later. Wait, I don't think he likes me presuming how he feels. He sounded really annoyed when I first assumed he wasn't enjoying the picnic... oh no... he probably hates me!!!

Maybe not hate, but strongly dislike!! No!!!! I failed at making him feel safe and comfortable around me!!! Pardon the tear stains on the paper; I'm crying. So pathetic... :(

I haven't told Bryn about him yet, but she told me that she summoned a Servant, and that gives me some hope! Hope that maybe I'm not a pitiful Master after all... and that I can make a better impression? Maybe then he'll tell me his name. Don't I have to know it in order to use his Noble Phantasm? I don't have to use his NP yet, but when the time comes, I kinda have to know, right? We'll get there when we get there, I guess.

Now I'm planning to introduce Avenger to Bryn and her Servant whom I accidentally assumed the gender of. We laughed about that part together, and she told me she wasn't giving hints as to who her servant was. I won't give hints either, and besides, I kinda can't. I think the biggest surprise, though, is her finding out for the first time that I went out on my own to summon late at night. I'm not sure if I'll confess to that part, but knowing me, I'll probably end up spilling the beans anyway.

Thankfully, I've stopped crying a little, and Avenger isn't here to see me like this. Or maybe he is, and I can't see him? That's a scary thought... I'm sorry in advanced, Avenger :'(

My Masters Basics class is tomorrow, and I already did the exercises for the homework. I guess now I'll just daydream some more plans... like meeting Bryn's Servant and introducing her to my own! Wish me luck!

-Robin


	12. Introducing: Servants!

Thankfully, classes were cancelled today due to snow, which meant that Robin and Bryn were free to hang out all day. Yippee! Robin awoke to Avenger staring intently out the window and down at the blanket of white that had become the ground overnight. Some students were already out there making igloos, having snowball fights, or just sitting out there with umbrellas and doing homework. He had seen snow before, right?

"Did it snow?"

Robin yawned; turning over in her blanket burrito to face Avenger completely. Without breaking eye contact with the snow, he hummed. Her phone had blown up with texts courtesy of Bryn... wait! She was supposed to go introduce Avenger to her! Five more minutes... her pink heated blanket kept her trapped in her bed for a good hour as she perused her phone and messaged Bryn.

🅱️: Bruh when are you coming over  
💙Edmond Dantés💙: uhhh idk... my blanket is so warm im gonna enter the fifth dimension  
🅱️: Lmao same  
🅱️: Come over before noon so we can all head to Erapan for lunch  
💙Edmond Dantès💙: !!!!

Macaroni and cheese time! Thankfully, she only needed to wear her uniform during school hours, and since school wasn't in session, the brunette could wear what she wanted! Even though she wasn't limited by the bounds of her uniform, she still wore her pink cardigan. Instead of a skirt, she sported a pair of black leggings, and underneath her cardigan was a black Ciao Cat shirt. Replacing her Mary Janes were her adored pink Gugs with bows in the back. How adorable! Her hair was as curly as ever, and today, she wore gummy bear clip-on earrings. This whole thing felt like a Sailor Planet transformation.

While she got dressed and ready for the day, Avenger vanished in order to give her privacy, and reappeared as she was applying her eyeliner and mascara in the bathroom.

"You put so much effort into looking presentable."

He noted. Putting the mascara wand back in the bottle, she went to retrieve her lip scrub from her bag.

"I like putting makeup on. It makes me feel pretty, you know?"

No, he probably didn't, but he looked at his own reflection in the mirror, then back down at his Master who was scrubbing away at her lips with a vanilla-flavored product.

"You're already pretty. I do not understand why you need to try to look nicer."

Robin's cheeks glowed red at his comment, and indeed, she had entered the fifth dimension again. Avenger still looked puzzled, and she decided not to explain her reasoning for wearing light makeup further so as to not befuddle him even more.

"Ah, you're too sweet, Avenger...! Thank you!"

Her voice carried so much fluster that he physically grimaced. He was just telling the truth, how was that sweet? Robin appeared to be ready, so he left her side and waited by the poster-adorned door to leave. She scurried to grab her glasses, phone, and ita bag, but eventually walked out the door before Avenger--courtesy of him opening the door for her--and traversing to her best friend's dorm three floors down.

Bryn was sprawled out on her bed as her Servant sat in her desk chair patiently. The rustling of his scarlet fluffball could occasionally be heard when he shifted ever so slightly. Bryn thought it was cute.

She was gonna be in for a massive surprise when Robin came by. The ebony-haired girl still had no idea that her friend had summoned, and was just thinking Robin was coming over to meet Karna... or just Lancer. No news had come out about any new Servants being summoned, so that meant that either no one had summoned recently, or people were actually doing what they were supposed to and not exposing their Servant to the public eye.

As soon as Robin knocked on the door, she flew out of her bed and hushed at Lancer to follow the plan. He nodded quickly, and reverted into his spirit form. Oh yeah, mister Krabs.

"Yoooo what's up, Rob?"

Bryn greeted; smiling up at her friend. Avenger, just like Lancer, was invisible, so Bryn had nothing to be surprised about. Robin grinned and walked into the dorm and waited until she closed the door to start talking.

"So where's the Servant you were talking about?"

The brunette queried, and brushed the dandruff off of her cardigan. So embarrassing... Bryn cleared her throat and yelled "UNDEROOS", watching as a man blinked into her desk chair. His snow white hair and aquamarine eyes stood out from his black attire, and the gem on his chest reflected the sunlight despite the sun shining in from behind him.

"'Nice to meet you, Robin."

The red Servant greeted, and Robin, of course, smiled at him. He seemed so polite! Definitely the complete opposite of you-know-who. She didn't want to say any names in case they could read her mind.

"And you too, um...-"

"Lancer."

Bryn butted in. Robin gave an anxious giggle and repeated the Servant's class name before going quiet and attempting to muster up the courage to tell her friend that she had a Servant as well that she wanted to show her. Instead, Bryn began talking about how she summoned Lancer. At least Robin could wait on getting the courage to speak up, now. Besides, she was genuinely curious to hear about how Bryn's ritual went down!

"Remember that relic that your brother gave me? He told me who it belonged to, so it was kinda like I already knew who I was gonna get. I'll tell ya, though, I'm just glad Lancer heard my call."

Both girls grinned.

"Do you know his true name?"

"Yeah! Lancer, I trust Robin with my life. Is it okay if I tell her your true name?"

Bryn asked her Servant, who looked concerned for some reason. He got up from his chair and stood by his Master defensively, much to Robin's confusion.

"There's another Servant here."

He said coldly. There were definitely no good vibes in his voice. Bryn was lost. How in the world could there be another Servant here? Robin's lips curled in, and she avoided eye contact.

"What? There shouldn't be anyone else here, unless..."

Unless Robin had summoned a Servant as well. As if on cue, shadows emerged from the ground and gurgled as static flew about wildly and formed a ghastly silhouette of a man with piercing yellow eyes. As soon as the shadows collected themselves, they dissipated and left behind a glowering Avenger. Lancer held an arm out in front of Bryn to keep her from getting close, even though all the other Servant did was stare through them. The weird crosses he had for pupils, the yellows of his iris... it all screamed bad news to Lancer.

"Bryn, this is my Servant, Avenger."

Robin hummed and smiled. Her friend's jaw practically dropped.

"WHAT???! You summoned an Avenger?! Rob, that's an Extra Class! No other Extra Class servant has been summoned in a Holy Grail War! Do you know what this means?!"

What _did_ this mean? The taller girl thought about it, before finally making eye contact with her friend.

"No...?"

"Neither do I! When did you summon?"

Robin explained to her friend how she went to an abandoned prison in the dead of night to summon Avenger with her jars of blood. At the same time, Lancer still stood close to Bryn, and Avenger never broke eye contact with him. Heck, he probably didn't even blink. The lancer didn't like this guy, but how could someone so nice as Robin summon someone, some _thing_ , like an Avenger?

"... I wanted to prove to our Heroes and Villains professor that chaotic evil Servants aren't just spawns from hell. They should be loved and cared for as any human would be. Even if Avenger was hurt in his life, I don't want to be afraid of him, and I don't want him to be afraid to receive kindness. I guess it's kind of complicated, but...-"

"It's just one big "Frick you" to the professor?"

"Ha... yeah, I guess."

Avenger hadn't heard that part before... the part about kindness, her Heroes and Villains professor, and not wanting to fear him. Lancer seemed relieved to see the other Servant's attention directed towards someone else; Robin in this case. It wasn't much of a change, but the widening of his eyes and the subtle pink tint on his pale cheeks spoke volumes. Thankfully, Lancer's brief smile wasn't caught, or else he would probably be dead meat... not like he would let that happen.

"That's so cool... do you know his true name yet?"

Bryn asked out of curiosity.

"No, I don't, but I'm not going to force him to tell me. He can tell me when he's ready, or if he ever wants to."

Robin replied honestly. Lancer closed his eyes and bowed his head. The guy screamed bad news, and it was even apparent that he was bad news for his Master as well. This was going to be an eventful war. Two best buds, one with a lancer and one with an avenger, both in the same war.

"We can talk it out over Erapan mac and cheese, dude. Just... let Avenger know that I wanna live."

Bryn meant for it to be a joke, but Avenger didn't at first until Robin reassured her that he wouldn't do such a thing... especially not to a woman. She didn't say that last part, though; he added that part himself in his head.

The two friends and their Servants sat inside eating Erapan mac and cheese with hot cocoa and watched the snow fall as they sat comfortably in their booth; the Servants sitting next to their Masters. Lancer never broke eye contact with the avenger, even while eating Bryn's apple that she didn't want. This was definitely going to be eventful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gugs= Uggs (the shoe brand)!  
> Sailor Planet= Sailor Moon!
> 
>  
> 
> thank you for reading! ♡


	13. Diary Entry 7

I'm so thankful we finished reading that book... not because it was bad or anything, but because the professors have really been packing it on us due to the snow days. Let me just say that _The Count of Monte Cristo_ (called TCOMC from now on) is a FANTASTIC story! It's... really sad... but Edmond gets a happy ending! Kinda. I dunno... after you've been imprisoned for fourteen years, that pain follows you for a while. Sure, Edmond had a happy ending, but... I wish I could just jump into the story and hug him and make him smile and laugh and just genuinely happy :) I know that's kinda dumb, since he's a fictional character, but goodness if I haven't loved fictional characters more than real people.

Avenger said something in French as soon as I finished reading the last line in TCOMC, which makes me think that, yes, Avenger can read my mind. That, or he's very intuitive... or a straight-up genius. The last line was "Wait and hope", which really packed a punch. Those words at the end of a story like that... Dumas really knew what he was doing! Or maybe he didn't and he was like "Uhhhh, I need something mildly angsty to put at the end of my book lol", minus the "lol" part. I dunno, but all I can say is that it was good!!!!!!!!!

Avenger is still as distant as always, and we're coming up on the end of day three. Too soon, I'm guessing... I shouldn't rush the process. It'll happen naturally and eventually, right? I just gotta hold my horses.

I forgot to mention this before, but last night I was listening to ocean noises before bed and I could've sworn I heard Avenger mutter something and sigh. It was a shaky sigh, too... maybe he gets sea sick and doesn't like being reminded of it?

Tomorrow is French Literature class, and we're discussing the character of Edmond Dantes himself! My sweet summer child... T^T he did nothing wrong! I've already gone on tangents about him to Bryn multiple times, and I bet this class is just gonna be the icing on the cake. Hehe, oops!! I just get so excited talking about my favorite and beloved characters!

Well, it's late, and I should be getting to bed. Got a big day ahead of me tomorrow talking about TCOMC and all. Wish me luck!

-Robin


	14. Discussing Dantès (in the context of French Literature class)

Classes weren't cancelled today, so that meant French Literature was up and at it. Robin was prepped with her personal annotated copy of _The Count of Monte Cristo_ followed by her notes taken while reading and from lecture. Bryn slid into the seat next to her with a wide grin and a wave, and Lancer even accompanied her. He was wearing what looked like pajama pants from the college's store and a shirt that read "I Really Wish I Weren't Here Right Now". His white hair was disheveled, even moreso than yesterday, as did his red fluff. 

Why couldn't Avenger do things like wear casual clothes and be with her in class like Lancer? He was probably too nervous to, which the brunette understood all too well. Again, she never wanted to force her Servant to do something he didn't want to do. Did that defeat the purpose of being a Master? This was taking a toll on her moral compass.

"Good morning, everyone. Let us being with our discussion on Dantès, as I'm assuming you've all done your work over the snow days."

Now that class was starting, she hoped that her mind didn't wander the whole time. The seat to her left was vacant, and she imagined Avenger sitting there next to her, just as Lancer was with his own master.

"Edmond Dantès is perhaps one of the most iconic avengers in literary history. Can anyone begin to explain why?"

One student raised their hand and mentioned the time at Chateau D'lf and how it gave Dantès an almost perfect reason to get back at everyone who got him there. Robin nodded, but also knew there was more to that...

"Yes, Miss Fea?"

"Edmond Dantès didn't just plot revenge on those who hurt him; he rewarded and greatly admired those who never left his side and supported him throughout the entire novel. I feel like that... duality, I guess, is what makes him one of the greatest avengers."

The teacher accepted her answer and provided examples of the protagonist's support.

"He helped Mercèdes get away from her abusive husband--one of the men in charge of his being placed in prison--and even attempted to give Haydee her title of princess back."

Edmond was a fictional character, but she really wished she could find a guy with such a big heart. Okay, well, this is a pretty weird situation, since Edmond was imprisoned unjustly and now plots revenge against everyone who got him there... but her point still stood!

While she was absentmindedly letting her eyes wander around the room, she noticed someone in the once empty seat next to her and jumped.

"A-Avenger?!"

She hissed. Bryn was too busy participating in class, and Lancer didn't even acknowledge his presence. What was he doing here-

"You wanted me here, so I came. You are my Master; I will obey your orders."

She never ordered him to sit in class with her, but she was thankful he was here nonetheless. He could definitely read her mind, which didn't sink in right away, and class continued like nothing had happened.

"If you go to the very last page of chapter one hundred and fourteen, you will notice the very last words are a popular expression in French literature. Can anyone translate it into French for the class?"

 _Attendre et espérer_... wait and hope. Hearing it again, it sounded eerily similar, if not identical to what Avenger muttered while she was finishing up the book! So that's what it meant! How did he know French, let alone what she was reading? Wait, he can basically kinda sorta connect to her mentally, but that doesn't explain the foreign language! She only knew Spanish and some Japanese! Nani?!

"Avenger, how did you know-"

"Miss Fea, is there something you'd like to share with the class?"

Not this again... she barely said anything! She bowed her head and put her hands in her lap shamefully.

"No, sir..."

While the brunette wasn't paying attention, Avenger watched Robin sink in her chair before directing a gaze from hell at the professor. Nothing happened to the professor, but Lancer physically shuddered and scooted away from Bryn even though Avenger was three seats away from him. Bryn, having noticed this, whispered to him that things were going to be okay, and Lancer couldn't help but smile. His inaudible guffaw hooked Avenger's attention.

"How vile..."

Robin's servant scowled before turning to face the other way. Lancer could only guess at what was going on with the edge lord over there, and waited until class was over to effectively vanish into thin air without a second thought. The raven-haired girl tapped Robin on the shoulder while she was packing up her ita bag.

"You got him to show up!"

She chimed.

"Yeah, I did somehow. I'm still really uncomfortable with the whole Master thing... it feels so dominating and pressuring and-!! Gosh! I dunno, I'm gonna have to pray about it."

Avenger stayed a safe distance away from Robin while she packed up, and walked by her like a guardian as she and her friend went back to their dorms. The last thing on Robin's mind was Avenger's true name.


	15. Discovering Avenger's Identity

After class, Bryn, Archer, Robin, and Avenger hung out for a bit before Lancer suggested he and his Master should leave. Avenger was probably getting on his last nerve, which effectively made Robin feel bad, but Lancer's hesitance was mostly towards her Servant and not her, right? Right??

The rest of the day went by as usual with the brunette sitting at her desk chair and doing her homework diligently. Robin put great effort into her schoolwork and studies to become a great mage despite her not being as strong in the mana field as she would have liked. She summoned a Servant, so that was good news! An Avenger class servant probably used up a ton of energy, but poor Robin Fea would be the only person to know and find out.

Unlike those previous, the mediocre Master had the honor(?) of summoning a Servant from the Extra class outside of the usual Assassin, Caster, Rider, Saber, Lancer, Archer, and Berserker. As far as she knew, there were only two classes outside of those seven: Ruler and Avenger. There were probably more, but either they hadn't been found or she hadn't gotten that far in Masters Basics.

After finally checking off her tasks in her agenda, she placed her pen down and sighed. Finally, she could get ready for bed! Was 7 PM too early to get ready for bed? She collected her shower basket filled with essentials like soap, a loofah, a Ciao Cat towel folded neatly at the bottom, shampoo and conditioner, shaving cream, hair brush, make up remover, cotton balls, face wash, moisturizer, toothbrush and tooth paste, and a pink shaver. Her nightgown adorned with spring flowers was folded in such a way as to conceal the Ciao Cat panties she had in there. No one was going to be put in the occasion of sin in this dorm!

Avenger didn't seem too worried about his Master leaving for a while to shower. She looked prepared with the overstuffed basket of toiletries, and she had reassured him that she would be no longer than forty-five minutes. That seemed like a ridiculously long time to clean oneself, but he recalled that a typical Robin Shower was around twenty minutes, with the drying off process, brushing of teeth and hair, removing of the makeup, washing of the face, shaving every other day or so, and slipping into pajamas being around ten or so. It wasn't terrible, and besides, she wouldn't be near Avenger's poisonous presence literally and figuratively. Bath time was a safe time.

When Robin came back, Avenger was nowhere to be found, but a glass of ice water was placed on her desk, the lights were off, and her Ciao Cat blankets had been pulled back enough to where she could slip in comfortably. She grinned out loud and took a few sips of the ice water before placing it down on the window sill, which was closer to her bed, and hopping into the bed. The heated blanket must have been on for a while as well; it was nice and toasty under there. With a hushed "Good night, Avenger", Robin drifted off to sleep.

.....................  
The sound of laughter and symphonic music filled her ears as she blinked open her eyes. Surrounding her was a vivacious ballroom filled with well-dressed men and women talking amongst themselves. Their dresses reminded Robin of those worn in the nineteenth century, and would you look at that! She was wearing a dress from that era as well!

The dress was a gorgeous white gown with a pink flower pattern just like the pajamas she wore to bed, and the sleeves were large bell sleeves that accentuated her tiny arms. She did a little twirl and giggled. She felt like a real princess! Without her knowledge, a woman had come up to her.

"Good evening, madame!"

They said in definitely not English. For some reason, though, she was able to understand what was said and even responded in that same foreign language.

"Hello! This place is... very fancy."

She grinned anxiously. Holy guacamole, she just spoke French. The brunette couldn't think of any way this was possible, but anything could happen in dreams! It didn't make sense how her subconscious knew the entire French language, though.

"Isn't it? It belongs to-"

The woman began before she was interrupted by a man who was standing beside the intimidatingly large staircase that Robin hadn't noticed before. Time to flock to the snack table!

"Presenting, The Count of Monte Cristo!"

He boomed. Robin's mission to retreat to the snack table went as planned, even though no one else was moving in order to listen to the guy speak, and proceeded to plop grapes and cheese cubes into her mouth. Yum... what a good combo!

There was a man coming down the staircase in what she could only describe as something a rich person would wear. Not an ordinary rich person, but a rich rich person. His garments were a dark royal purple , and his cape fluttered majestically behind him. His snow white hair was pulled back in a pony tail, and his eyes were a cherry red. The Count immediately had everyone's eye, but his were only set on one person: Robin.

Everyone else noticed that his attention was directed her way before she did, and it wasn't until she saw him coming her way did she try to arrange the cheese cubes accordingly so it didn't look like she had eaten them all. He brought a hand up to cover his slight grin and stopped beside her.

"May I have this dance, milady?"

He held out his left hand. Uh oh, there was no turning back now. She didn't want to, but she didn't want it to seem obvious that she loved him. Or... him from the book? With a nod, she took his hand and followed behind him to the middle of the ballroom floor where they slow danced together to the melodious tune of the orchestra. The Count took her hands in his once they were facing each other and brought them to his shoulders while his hands trailed down to her waist. Robin wasn't a good dancer, that was for sure, but she had done this before with some guy friends in high school at prom. This was no different, was it?

Whenever she felt unsure, she would glance down at her feet to make sure she was doing it right, and once, he caught her.

"You're doing wonderful, Robin. You're a fine dancer."

If her face wasn't already red, it was now. His voice was so lulling and nice... it reminded her of someone she had heard before, but she couldn't pinpoint who. She gave a hesitant smile in return.

"Th-Thank you..."

Okay, that stuttering was tolerable... just not at any other time. She had her gaze averted for a while, enough to notice some women staring at her enviously, which almost made her laugh. She was with her dream man, and they weren't. Haha! Dreams rock.

"Robin, can you-"

The Count began before being interrupted by a hellish shriek. One of the ladies at the ball had taken quite a fall and was holding her knee; forgetting that the dresses of this era made it almost impossible to do that without flashing someone. Robin audibly gasped, and apologized to The Count before rushing over to her aid. A clearing had been made to let the brunette through and she knelt down next to the injured woman.

"Are you alright? What happened?"

Robin asked her. The lady nodded stiffly,

"I... I was dancing, and I must've tripped on my heels... They're new shoes, too."

The shoes shouldn't have meant that much to the lady, but Robin could sympathize. Heels were the worst and almost impossible to walk in, at least in her experience.

"What hurts?"

"My ankle... oh my ankle... I think I broke it!"

She moaned, and everyone surrounding her gasped. Robin tried to be gentle as she went to look at the woman's foot. The right foot was definitely swollen, but not broken, thank goodness.

"I think it's just a sprain, ma'am. Your right foot is swollen, but that's about it, thankfully. Is there anyone here who can escort you out?"

If there wasn't anyone, Robin would have done it, but a few men came over and picked her up effortlessly. Fortunately, they made sure her dress didn't reveal anything beneath it, and they made sure not to cause further injury. The anonymous woman held out her hand for the brunette to take and help herself stand up.

"Thank you, madame... I am forever grateful for your hospitality. I wish there were more people like you out there- Ohh! My ankle!"

Murmurs broke out in the crowd as she was escorted out of the ballroom, and as soon as she was carried to safety, everything livened up once more. The Count was still waiting for Robin, who was tumbling over her own two feet to get over to him. By the time she did, she was out of breath.

"I'm sorry, Count! I... had to help that woman..."

She panted, and unexpectedly found herself resting against his chest. His arms held her close and they continued to dance as slow as they were before. Robin's mouth was agape not only because she was breathing heavily, but also because she wasn't expecting the gesture.

"Your kindness is bright enough to illuminate this entire ballroom, Robin. I am in awe of your gentle soul."

He commented, and she hummed. They danced like this for a while before he abruptly pushed her away and gazed into her hazel eyes. They were wide with curiosity, probably as to why he pushed her away so suddenly.

"You have the most innocent eyes. Hazel... a suiting color. It blends in with your hair, but also stands out with hints of green. They are unique like you."

Robin's lip quivered at his compliment, and he took her hands once again.

"Come with me. I have something to tell you."

His voice was oddly cold, but she complied. While everyone was distracted by themselves, the two went up the stairs and into a closed off room that led to the balcony at the front of the mansion. The stars were shining, the moon was full... it was a scene out of a calendar. Or maybe a movie. Robin stood by the ledge and watched as the Count took a seat on it. Was he not afraid of falling back from such a height?

"The night is beautiful, isn't it, Robin?"

"Yes... it is."

They were still speaking French, and she'd just come to accept it. Robin looked off into the starry sky as he spoke up.

"There is something I have been meaning to tell you. Something you should know."

Robin gave him a nod without breaking eye contact with the constellations, which didn't seem to cut the mustard for him.

"I want you to look at me."

His voice almost sounded shaky, but he aligned himself before the brunette could make a diagnosis. She did as he told and looked at his face. His beautiful eyes, his well-kept hair... he could easily be mistaken for a prince. Is that what Counts were? Rich people that weren't of royal blood? Well... The Count of Monte Cristo basically owned Monte Cristo, so maybe it was a title of ownership? She'd have to look that up later.

"Take one final look at me."

"I'm looking."

She assured him. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed everything disappearing into nothingness. Any time she tried to look away from him, it felt as if she physically couldn't. She could see pain in his eyes that wasn't there before, and soon, they were in a void of darkness. The Count stood up without breaking eye contact with Robin who appeared to be frightened. He wanted to reassure her, but now that the apparition was gone, so was the Count's facade.

"Robin. I knew of no other way to tell you this..."

He began, when out of the blue, she could have sworn she heard something crack. She turned her head around quickly to see where the noise came from, but instead noticed that her flowing gown was now replaced with her familiar bedtime attire. There was no fancy twirl when she pivoted, and when she looked down, that was when she noticed.

"You can tell me anything. I'll listen. I promise I won't judge."

She tried to reassure, but only got a sigh from the man in return. She was speaking English now... huh.

"It's not that. This isn't real."

Of course it wasn't real! It was all just a dream.

"I didn't want to hurt you, and this was the only way I thought of."

The Count was now speaking English as well, but now, his attire was also shifting to those of... Avenger?! It had to be! His eyes were now that familiar yellow color and his body was hidden within his darker turquoise coat. That's where she recognized the voice! It was Avenger's! Why didn't she put two and two together sooner?

"Avenger?! You're... Edmond Dantès?!"

She gasped, and notice as he scowled at the name.

"I am the Count of Monte Cristo. My true name is the same. I've abandoned the name Edmond Dantès, as well as the past."

And here she was, in love with Edmond Dantès from the book... and he was her Servant! Did he know how much he meant to her?! He must've, since he remained quiet and stepped back when she got closer.

"You're... The Count. Avenger, you-"

It looks like she finally knew what this meant. Everything that had happened to Edmond in the book had happened to Avenger. Out of nowhere, she began running towards him; arms open and tears in her eyes. The Count went to move, but didn't want her to fall and hurt herself, and in the final moments, he let her succumb to the poison of his vengeance.

........

All she could remember were screams and hollers of pain and agony before she jolted up in her bed and cried bloody murder. She couldn't see Avenger at first (should she call him by name now?), but when she went to grab her water, someone was already holding it. Edmond let the brunette take her drink and put it back on the window sill when she was finished.

"Avenger, you... all of that... Edmond!!"

She threw her face into her hands and sobbed. Her heart ached for him, and he wasn't sure what to do. Not only did he abandon the name, but... he didn't mind his master calling him that. In private, of course. He could tell she was trying to still piece things together, and added with her drowsiness, it came out more jumbled than intended.

Before she knew it, Avenger had taken off his coat and draped it around her. If there was anything he could say or do, it was this. That, and... oh gosh... he damn well knew his Master wouldn't live this down without a hug, but if he poisoned her...

That was the least of her worries. Robin latched onto him like an infant to its mother.

"I'm so sorry, Edmond... I'm so sorry!!"

Thankfully, his vengeful flames had retreated into himself as if to protect his Master from harm. Here she was, sorry for everything that had happened to him in his life, even if that was out of her control, and sorry for not knowing sooner. It wasn't her fault that she didn't know sooner, and he tried to tell her that, but... it was probably best to just stay quiet and let her hug (and cry) it out. Good morning to you too, Robin.


	16. ???

"Her name is Robin Fea, sir."

A man declared, making sure his boss didn't throw a fit. The girl in the surveillance footage had on a pink jacket, Ciao Cat leggings, and a purple window bag with a variety of pins. Why was the boss so engrossed in her?

Maxime Manigault snarled at a replay of footage showing a stout brunette college student smiling whilst giving henna tattoos to the children living in the town next door to campus. His assistant had his britches in a knot; standing erect and trying desperately not to praise the girl known as Robin Fea on the screen for her hospitality.

"Robin Fea... yes, I know her. She's in my Heroes and Villains class. A prominent youth... she will go far in life if she does not meddle with my plans."

"I doubt she has any intention of interfering with your plans, sir."

Manigault slammed his hands down on the desk in front of him before his assistant could say any more. The footage of the girl shut off.

"Fool! My plan is to get the Grail! If she is a Master, she will have the same ambitions! I will not allow a second Fea to take my prize!"

"Prize" was an interesting word to associate with the Holy Grail, but the other man in the room went along with it.

"Show me her student ID."

Manigault demanded, as the computer screen before him lit up with life and displayed a pastel-pink-donned Robin Fea. There was no denying it; she was related to Orion's Master from the Holy Grail War three years ago. Her brother didn't attend the College for the Magical Arts, but because she did, Manigault had an advantage.

"I can learn everything I need to know about her... absolutely _everything._ "

His speech slowed to a cryptic pace as the words rolled off of his tongue. No one dared to speak up.

"Tomorrow, she has my class. Then, will I see if she has been given a set of command seals. If so... the battle begins."

"Does she have any idea how much you detest her? She has no criminal record, no demerits, nothing to soil her reputation. What has you hooked on her besides the fact that she's related to Orion's Master?"

There was a pause before Manigault began,

"Roll back to the footage from last week after her French Literature class."

The assistant replied, and a recording of Robin waiting to cross the street. Manigault zoomed in to stare into her hazel eyes and scowled.

"Look into her eyes. That gaze... that childish glimmer of hope in her pupil. You can tell from not just that, but the way she acts; the way she treats others. There's no one that empathetic who hasn't seen the face of hell. She knows the evils this fallen world holds, yet she defies them with mercy. What a fool. An insolent, ignorant fool."


	17. Diary Entry 8

AVENGER!!!! IS!!!! EDMOND!!!!!! I'm still in shock over it! Not only because he's gone through so much and deserves love, but because he's, well, _mine_! It definitely brings a lot of closure to know who he is, and I can call him something besides his Servant class now. He doesn't like being called Edmond, so I've been calling him Count, which he seems to be fond of... fond of as in he'll respond to it. I haven't called him Edmond or Dantès yet out of respect for his wishes. Even if I'm his Master, I shouldn't disrespect him!

On a completely different note, my Heroes and Villains professor, Doctor Manigault, cancelled the class for the rest of the semester. I've never had that happen to me before, I really hope he's alright! He said something came up and he had to take an absence for the rest of the semester, and I sent back a reply telling him that I hope all is well and that things get settled out soon so he can return to his position! I dunno if he gets paid on leave, and, assuming he has a family, he needs money to support them, right?

So now I only have two classes this semester which is... really easy! Bryn has three classes as far as I know of. Maybe I'll take an online course just to replace the credit. Considering how we're not that far into the semester--it's nowhere close to midterms--I doubt we're getting any credits for that class. It was kind of suspicious how we didn't have class often, or if we did, it was online. He grew more distant as the Holy Grail War news started surfacing... I'm not Sherlock Holmes, but I think Dr. Manigault might be a Master. It's not that big of a stretch, I don't think. I hope I'm wrong though. I don't want him to bring down my grade! I guess I don't have to worry about that anymore now that he cancelled the class, huh?

Speaking of which, I don't have much else to report aside from the fact that it's a week into the war and nothing has happened. I know nothing about how strong the Count is, how he fights, his skills, or his Noble Phantasm. Thinking about what all I don't know is making me anxious and I have Masters Basics stuff to read for next class! Oh boy... wish me luck!

-Robin


	18. Why Does It Suck To Be A College Student?

Robin wasn’t sure what she was going to do with only two classes this semester. Should she sign up for another class, or should she use her abundant free time to study? She had been looking at the course catalog for anything that piqued her interest, but hadn’t have much luck. A lot of the classes were full and there were only a few days left to be able to add or drop classes without a hefty fee. Maybe an online elective would be better... like a class on how to strengthen your magic power? That caught her attention!

The girl didn’t consider herself strong in the mana department. Bryn would probably surpass her in everything, as would the other Masters. As she dwelled on that concept, she sighed. Why in the world did the Grail choose her, again? Edmo- er… the Count deserved a better, stronger master than Robin Fea. She could only do so much-

“Stop. Degrading yourself will not give you answers, especially if your allegations are nothing but false.”

The Count appeared behind her in a wisp of shadow; looming over the brunette’s hunched-over posture as she sat in her desk chair; the light of her laptop serving as the only source of brightness in the room at eleven o’clock at night. Robin bit her lip. He was able to read her like an open book. Was it that obvious?

“I’m sorry, Count, I… I need to become the best I can be, and I don’t know if I can be that for you-”

His Master began, before he closed his eyes in contemplation. This was going to be an interesting contract, certainly. A Master who doubted her abilities as a mage and notoriously over-thought everything, but was so selfless as to sacrifice herself for others… was it not apparent why the Grail chose her? Sprucing the war up with someone like Robin was just what the magi community, if not the _world,_ needed, but some higher power had other reasons for choosing a mediocre college student like her.

“Master, if you’re really that concerned, do something about it. Don’t sit there and wallow. Only fools do that. You have the ability to change yourself. You’re looking at classes, correct? Sign up for one that can help you excel in your magic. Go to the library in the free time that you have now and study books. Study them until you can recite it back without glancing down at the page if you have to. You are enough. Are you going to guide me like the Abbé? Or are you going to succumb to your own self-pity?”

Robin sat there listening to him as if he had just made a prolific speech. He definitely had, but did he know how much it meant to her to hear something like that from him? Sure, they had met about a week ago, but he was opening up slowly but surely, and she delighted in seeing it. First, he tells her his True Name, and then, just days later, he speaks more than just a sentence or two! It was a process, but she was thankful to be there every step of the way to experience it. She’d be lying if she said tears didn’t well up in her eyes; a warm smile gracing her features.

“You have a good point… thank you, Count.”

The sleeves of her pink cardigan were utilized as temporary tissues before her Servant picked up on the situation at hand and held out a box of Kleenex in front of her.

“Don’t soil your cardigan. You just washed that yesterday.”

Being a Servant had its perks, such as being able to learn about who your Master was as a person just by being with them. From what he could differ, his Master was unlike anyone he had seen outside of his “world”. She reminded him of Abbé Faria in that she implemented not just God, but goodness and grace into everything she did, or at least tried to. She was nowhere near perfect, and her struggles to be the best that she could be were embarrassing if not revealing of her inner character. Her inward and outward selves were both one in the same, but even the Count knew that beneath her joy was a bedrock of past trauma. He was no psychological archeologist; he wasn’t going to go mining through her subconscious to find his answers and accepted that, in time, she would open up to him as much as he had. Granted, giving her his name shouldn’t have been so difficult, but he didn’t consider it simple, let alone meaningful, in the slightest. Everything carried weight to it; it was just a matter of distributing it.

The brunette had used up a good six tissues; tossing them into her Ciao Cat trash bin beside her desk as she used them. Through blurred vision, Robin scrolled through the list of available classes and found a seminar titled Magecraft and Mana, which she could have sworn wasn’t there before. There was one seat left open! In her heart, she could feel the urge to add herself to said course, and even Count seemed to be urging her further silently. The seminar was online and consisted of heavy reading, practice, and hours of dedication a day. With an open schedule like hers, it was a perfect fit! Robin managed a wry smile through her quivering lips and hid her face in her palms as if her cardigan were going to soak up the rest of her tears. She didn’t know what her servant was up to until there were two quiet clicking noises behind her.

Avenger had been preparing her bed by pulling back the covers and turning on her heated blanket to the medium setting on the attached remote. Turning around in her wooden chair, she was able to watch the last remaining fragments of her Servant disappear into the surrounding darkness. Her window had been open a crack to let in some cool, fresh air but the only thing missing was the noise machine. She didn’t think she would need it tonight, considering how nice the wind sounded, and instead flocked straight to her prepared bed.

Not much had happened today anyway, considering how her Heroes and Villains class was abruptly canceled for some unknown reason. She had reached out to Bryn a few times, but for some reason, her friend was out at Mal-Wart buying more clothes for Lancer. Why hadn’t she thought of that for Avenger? He definitely needed a modern-day makeover, and who better to ask than Robin? Okay, maybe that was a bad idea considering how she wore pastels every single day, but that wasn’t the point! As she giggled to herself, waddled beneath her blankets, she tried to distract herself from anything else that might prevent her from going to sleep. French Literature class was tomorrow, and they were going to start a new text!

Wait, speaking of text, Bryn made a group text chat with Lancer, herself, and Robin. Avenger didn’t have a phone yet, but B had told her the extensive story behind how Lancer bought a new Elppa phone, SIM card activated and everything, from God knows where. Could he possibly get one for the Count? She wanted to send a text their way, but decided that getting a good eight hours of sleep was better. Was that too selfish? She was starting to worry about that until a strong gust of wind rushed through her dorm. What in the world? Was that her Servant telling her to get the eff to sleep? Either way, she took it as a sign that she should hit the hay for the night, and that’s exactly what she did.  
…  
…  
…  
…  
…  
_Look upon my works, ye mighty, and despair!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ellpa= Apple company  
> Mal-Wart= walmart
> 
> also i changed the class name on 3/15 to "magecraft and od" after learning about the difference between mana and od! dont worry, ill try to explain the difference to the best of my ability in the next chapter, and ill leave a link to the video i saw that talked abt it! ☆  
>  
> 
> once again, thank you for reading!! stay tuned! ♡


	19. Let's Get It Started (Ha)

_Good morning! Time to wake up!_

Robin’s phone chimed at precisely 7 A.M. Reaching over haphazardly to drag her finger across the screen to get the alarm to shut off, the brunette lifted her phone up from her window sill by the resin charms strapped over the top of her decoden phone case to check her notifications. The Mage's Association’s app, Magi+, had blown up overnight with news and Bryn tagging her in memes.

The Mage's Association? Having an app? It was an exclusive app for those studying to be mages and attending certified schools. As soon as you were enrolled to one of their schools, you were given a special code to enter into the Mage's Association’s website which would download the social media-esque app straight to your cellular device. Aside from the app, there was no other way to access the platform, so checking your feed on your laptop wasn’t possible.

The app was created by mages, for mages.  A few graduate students put it together with permission from the Mage’s Association and even the church, who has their own page on the app that’s run by some volunteers. All the schools, students, and even teachers had their own account on there where they could share news about mage stuff and, most importantly, the Holy Grail War. Aside from the “Bad Civ” posts that people would make (and flood her feed on occasion), any information concerning servants and other exclusive mage stuff would be posted on there by the Big Wigs, as they came to be called, which basically consisted of any notable magus schools, the church, or the Mage’s Association themselves. Everyone followed their enrolled school, the church, and the Association by default, and it was impossible to unfollow the last two, as far as she knew of. Who would unfollow the main reasons for having the app?

To compare the social media platform to a preexisting one, Robin would have to say it ran a lot like Cheeper. Although, in this case, you had to be a registered student in the mage world to be able to use it. If you stopped studying or transferred out of any of the certified schools for any reason, your account would be terminated, and you wouldn’t be able to download it again without another code. Robin was following Bryn, the “!Study Abroad Mages!” page, and a few high school buddies along with the usual Mage’s Association account and the church’s, along with the College for the Magical Arts where she currently attended school. The posts that had flooded her lock screen were almost all from students at CMA and other nearby French (magi) colleges and universities talking about Servant sightings, which had been trending for weeks now.

 **Joe MhaMah** (@ligmaballs69): **legit i keep hearing people talking about an assassin sighting and i cant even sight any ass** _[130k Likes 70k Repost 2k Comments]_

 **Smitty Werben** (@swerben): **I SWEAR SOMEONE JUST SUMMONED A CASTER WTF @ MASTERS WBK** _[200 Likes 134 Repost 45 Comments]_

 **TOE SUCKER 27** (@gdelrais4): **Does nobody have the sauce for the Servants being summoned? Please tell me someone at least summoned Mama Raikou because there was a Berserker sighting.** *Translated from: French* _[30 Likes 14 Repost 3 Comments]_

 **B Emoji Incarnate** (@b-rynbow): @lady_dantes **someone summoned john cena**

 **The Church** (@thechurch_Fr): **Approximately seven Servants have been confirmed and spotted for this upcoming Holy Grail War. Classes have not been confirmed. More information to come. Please stay safe if you are not participating.** *Translated from: French* _[300k Likes 100k Reposts 100k Comments]_

Oh. Oh no. Her handle! She changed it as fast as she could before Avenger could see it or know that, before she knew that she had summoned the Edmond Dantés, she had a massive crush on him in the book! Her username was changed back to “lady_pastel” just in time for her 7:15 alarm which told her to actually get out of bed. There were definitely more posts to catch up on, but she had to get ready for the day!

Her Ciao Cat vanity and makeup bag were already set up for her, courtesy of Ed-… the Count, who was nowhere to be seen. It was still a bit dark outside, probably from the rain that came in overnight, and the expected showers to continue throughout the day, as mentioned by Lancer who texted to the chat:

“It's a bit overcast outside. It looks like it’s going to rain all day… don't forget to bring an umbrella.”

To which Robin responded:

“thank u sm, lancer!!! <3”

Which elicited no direct response. With her silver highlighter on point and pink lip gloss killin’ it, the timid Master slipped on her large-framed glasses and smiled at her reflection… which didn’t last very long. She looked more bloated than usual, and probably big enough to be mistaken for a parade float. She whimpered, and finished her routine with the putting on of her pink cardigan and her lilac ita bag. Ready to start the day! Time for French Literature class!

“Forgetting something?”

The Count’s voice echoed. Frantically turning her head to find him, she was met with nothing but a looming dark presence definitely belonging to her servant. He can talk to her even if completely invisible? That’s so cool! Ahem, act natural. You don’t want him to think you’re a child, even if he does already. This isn’t helping. Abort!

“Am I? Um… I thought I had everything— oh! My water bottle! I keep leaving that behind, I’m sorry-”

She kept deprecating herself and Avenger wasn’t having it. The air grew frigid, as if she had left the window open all night, which she was sure she did, but upon further inspection, the window was closed shut. The poor girl began to sweat anxiously, awaiting some kind of scolding, but got none.

“Hurry. Frenzy and mania are waiting.”

If there was one thing she could differ about him, it was that he had a weird way with words. Was this his way of saying “get to class or you’ll be late”? She didn’t have time to answer that question, and instead grabbed her water bottle and went on her way. Thankfully, the water fountain wasn’t too far from the French Literature classroom.

_________________________

“Dude, I’m having a bruh moment. How in the world did they spot you, Lancer?”

Bryn hushed, and the white-haired man averted his gaze.

“I don't know. I tried my best, Master. The naked eye could not have possibly picked me up like that footage did. You will not have to worry about me ever been caught that way again. I am just as surprised as you.”

Robin felt bad for interrupting their conversation, but sat down next to her friend nonetheless. 

“Hi, guys! Sorry if I’m kinda late.”

The brunette sighed.

“You’re good, Rob. I know we usually sit in the front, but because the heater doesn't reach that far up, I thought it’d be a better idea to just sit in the back. If you need to sit up closer to see, though, go on ahead.”

The two friends conversed while Lancer seemed to be glaring at the nothingness that was behind Robin. They were in such a large room, but the class was no bigger than thirty people. For some reason, the school decided to teach this class in a pseudo lecture hall that could probably fit fifty.

“What is the matter? Are you too afraid to show your face?”

Lancer spoke up and held his hands together; using them to support his head as he rested his elbows on the table. Bryn seemed to halt her and Robin’s conversation and tried to spot whatever her Servant was addressing. It took a while, but Robin eventually caught on and turned around to, not see Avenger, but feel his presence. She gave a small gasp and grinned.

“Oh! Yeah, Avenger’s here. He’s not afraid to show himself; he’s just…”

No one could see, but the Count was staring daggers at his master. The lancer smiled for a moment and directed his attention away. People were starting to come in and sit all around; talking about all of the commotion on the media. Word had gotten out that Doctor Manigault unexpectedly quit, and rumors were apparently going around that he was a Master in this war. Robin’s heart sank to her stomach. If that was true, and not just one of her silly superstitions, she really didn’t want to risk her GPA lowering. That wasn’t even the worst of it! She would have to fight one of her own professors!

“They’re rumors, Master. Don’t believe them without thorough evidence. Else it’ll be your downfall.”

The count scowled, and his Master frowned. Of course he would know something about rumors and falsehoods. To direct her attention elsewhere, she pulled out her notebook and pencil bag just in time for the professor to walk in and declare order.

“Good morning, everyone. I assume everyone has followed up on the reading I posted? It’s the document discussing the next reading assignment.”

Oh no, she hadn’t done that! How could this get any worse? First,… never mind. That’s classified. Forgetting an assignment was unforgivable! How was she going to live this one down? Even Bryn was pulling out a printed and fully annotated copy from her backpack! Robin sulked and buried her face in her hands. Get it together, you can’t have an episode in the middle of class. People are going to think you’re a brat or entitled or—

“HOLY FUCK!!”

Was all she could make out aside from the massive explosion of brick and debris from the left hand corner of the ceiling. Dust spewed everywhere and Robin’s first instinct was to hide under the desk to prevent herself from getting pelted by loose fragments. Those closer to the front of the classroom were the ones almost completely assaulted by the crumbling ceiling and, stupidly, Robin was too shocked to instruct Count to protect those classmates. Bryn was already on it, however, and Lancer was singeing and crushing larger debris with ease.

As the dust dissipated, the first noticeable thing was what looked like an endless galaxy… wait. An enormous galaxy cat adorned in gold? People in the classroom were exchanging astonished glances with one another before something descended from a ray of sunlight.

“Observe the might of a Pharaoh! Haha… Hahahahahahaha!”

Someone calling themselves a Pharaoh in the twenty-first century? This definitely had to be a Servant, if the giant galaxy cat wasn’t enough proof. Robin got up from underneath the table and sat back in her chair that had been dusted off somehow. It was almost impossible to look upon the guy who was levitating in the air so far away from everyone. He was cloaked with light! And he was nearly microscopic in comparison to the kitty. Realizing this, the self-proclaimed Pharaoh moved closer enough to touch the inside of the classroom, or at least what was left of the corner of the ceiling.

“This guy’s a load of barnacles…~”

Bryn hummed to Robin, who was already covering her mouth to prevent herself from inhaling anything toxic perchance, but was now covering her mouth to hide her grin. Even in situations like a Servant bursting into the classroom, B knew how to keep things cool, especially her best friend. Robin was forever thankful for that.

“I am the King of Kings! I have come to declare war to Masters near and far! One Master, in particular, is in this room! I will not allow them to meddle in my efforts for the grail, and I have shown my presence to you on one condition! Robin Fea! Hear me!”

Robin was pretty sure she felt Death’s hand on her soul. Just who was this guy and what did he want with her? He just exposed her as a Master to her entire class, including her professor! She didn’t notice the stares that were now directed towards her,

“I will take your authority as a Master faster than you got it! You will never see the light of victory! I will not allow it! I, an almighty Pharaoh, declare the commencement of this Holy Grail War! To all who hear my voice: Kneel before me! I shine with brilliance! Any time, any where! And all who dare oppose me, you are a fool to raise your blade against a Pharaoh! Robin Fea, you have no time left to waste! Your life will end as I see fit! I will be the one to return you to the ashes where you came from!”

The whole world felt like it burst into his outrageous laughter and, with a blinding light, the Pharaoh was gone. All that was left was a gaping ceiling and wide-eyed stares from everyone in the classroom directed at the portly brunette dressed in pastels. Everyone in the room was stunned to silence, and the Count was nowhere to be seen. Thankfully, no one was terribly hurt at the hands of whoever that was, but now the truth was out: she was a Master, and the Holy Grail War was really about to begin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cheeper = twitter!
> 
> thank you for being so patient!!! also sorry if robin seems kinda ksjdhgskd this chapter, shes not doing too hot :"(


	20. Clair Et Sombre

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this is rlly long sjkhksjd i hope u enjoy!!!

_Diary Entry 10_  
 _I can't even begin! This guy crashes into class and_  
  
Robin couldn't finish her sentence without her mind practically imploding. The flood gates keeping her insecurities tucked in the back of her subconscious finally decided to succumb to the pressure of it all. If being so physically rotund as to be unapproachable, having a wide, genuine smile that could petrify Medusa along with the overwhelming fear that Count hated her and much more wasn't enough, the incident in French Literature was the frosting on the cake. Posts on Magi+ were circulating within the CMA community causing as much unnecessary drama as possible, not to mention the frequent tags by people she didn't even know.

  
 **monky cronch** (@sjkhsk): @lady_pastel **has some serious tea w king tut** _[3k Likes 420 Reposts 70 Comments]_  
 **boobah are hot** (@chadface_mcgee **):** **when that guy burst in thru the ceiling in the middle of my lit class, i almost dropped my croissant** _[4k Likes 2k Reposts 50 Comments]_  
 **Bad At Making Friends** (@bamf69): @lady_pastel **is a master!!!!!!!!** @thechurch_Fr **you getting this?** *Translated from: French* _[3k Likes 234 Reposts 15 Comments]_  
 **B Emoji Incarnate** (@b-rynbow): **Guys, I don't think you're supposed to snitch on @/lady_pastel. Just saying.** _[30 Likes 4 Reposts 0 Comments]_

  
At least someone was coming to her defense, but what did it matter in the long run? The Church was probably going to lose their marbles over another Fea being in the war, let alone being directly targeted by an overly flamboyant servant during school hours in front of several other witnesses. Granted, the witnesses were mages as well, or at least studying to grow stronger in the magic field, so worrying over any "outsiders" seeing the commotion would have been little to none... hopefully. With an entrance like that, who _wouldn't_ have noticed? The campus was far from any neighboring "normie" towns, as people without magical circuits (passed down through the family bloodline or forged by oneself) came to be called, which meant that they were safe from harm, right? Typically, Masters or Servants would eliminate any passerby who even but breathed near their magical affairs, and since no news has come out about any deaths (if there would have been), Robin was allowed to feel relief.

Her relief didn't last long as her inbox flooded with people questioning her or bombarding her with whatever they deemed appropriate with the occasional "u single?" message, which always pressed her buttons. Why did people feel the need to ask that? Ever? To _her_? Eventually, after having enough attention for a day, she turned off her inbox notifications and didn't bother to follow up with anyone not including Bryn. It was only Monday, and the brunette never wanted to look at her Magi+ notifications ever again. Groaning aloud as she tossed in her bed, she pulled her blankets close to her chest and curled up underneath them. The sun was setting slowly, and thankfully, she had finished her homework and then some. This new seminar she took up was definitely interesting, if not very informative!

According to lecture and reading, mana and od are two different classifications of magic. Mana is the magical energy wandering all throughout the world; the world's magic. Od, on the other hand, is created inside oneself. Through one's magical circuits, a mage can pretty much become a walking, breathing magic filter; taking in the mana from their surroundings and turning it into something they can use via Magic Circuits within them. After six years of studying, she had definitely learned such, but everything taught at a college or university level felt like it had more brevity to it. Perhaps that was her own experience, but that didn't matter. Her skill as a mage mattered much more than it ever had before. She was supplying her servant, the Count, with enough energy to retain a physical form. With an Avenger class servant, no one could warn her or prepare her for how much mana he required. She was in this boat alone. They would be learning together, right? Learning Robin's limitations, watching her hopefully develop into a stronger mage within a semester, oh yeah, not pressuring at all, nope!

Avenger's words echoed through her mind: "You are enough". That meant she was supplying him with enough of her magic, right? How many times was she going to use the word "magic"? Was it getting too annoying? No, "magic" and "mana" are reoccurring terms in the magic world, so it should be okay. As far as Robin was aware of, Count was fine in that regard. Although, as much as she wanted to see him, it was easier on her to have him remain in spirit form. As long as they could talk, she didn't feel completely alone or abandoned by him. Not all Servants were 100% loyal to their masters, as she found out through horror stories... she prayed desperately that her Servant wasn't one of them. What would she do if he turned his back on her, or worse, killed her? No, he won't do that; he wouldn't do that. She wasn't completely certain, but she was certain enough that he wouldn't hurt her... maybe not purposefully.

If there was one thing that fought off this anxiety and her depression creeping up, it was a nice nap, but it was barely six o'clock at night. She could tell the Count was here with her because of the magical energy flowing from her to him. One of the things that she was never taught was how it felt to be a Master. Not just mentally, but magically. She still had her three command seals, but had no idea what to do with them. She hated "commanding" people to do things, and Servants weren't an exception. Her friends back in high school constantly joked that she would be a terrible Master because of her pacifism and unyielding love, and she could confirm that. There was nothing in the world she wanted to hurt, nor anyone she wasn't willing to make happy. She had made it her life goal to bring light to even the darkest places, and now, as a Master, she had the power to.

It wasn't just the Count whom she wanted to make smile (genuinely); she wanted to show it to all the world through her example, beginning with being kind to others and especially the innocent children. Children were always fun to work with, especially when she warmed up to them. Despite her wanting to be a beacon of hope for all to see, she was incredibly shy. Perhaps that would change, as she desperately wanted it to, and has tweaked herself accordingly to a vision of herself that she is comfortable with. At times like these, though, futile things like her weight, her voice, her _everything_ became an issue for her. She couldn't change some things about her, like her self-approach, no matter what she did. After keeping it buried for so long, whenever that pessimism crept up, it hit her like a truck. This was one of those times.

The Count was silent as Robin turned to face the wall and closed her eyes; tears not afraid to spill at any minute. She had done enough crying, and she was sick of it. Only needy, whiny brats cried as she did; therefore, she too was a needy, whiny brat in her warped vision. Avenger, though invisible, perked his head up to look at her before sighing to himself. This was going to be a problem if he didn't do something about it.  
  
———————————————  
  
Robin's eyes fluttered open despite being welcomed to darkness. She wasn't even sure if her eyes were open. Had she really fallen asleep so soon? She didn't have her eyes closed for five minutes, and it was pitch black! This was different, though. She wasn't in her bed; in fact, she wasn't even in her body. She felt as light as a feather as she brought herself to her feet. Was she even here? She couldn't tell.

Then there were footsteps. They were slow, but steadily approaching her. All she could do was wait until something revealed itself in the darkness, but even after what felt like an eternity, nothing made its presence known. Robin couldn't hear herself breathe or feel her heart beat. The heavy feeling that had hung itself on her heart like a wrecking ball after French Literature class was nonexistent.

"Where am I?"

She finally spoke up. Her voice felt light and airy, as if she had inhaled helium, but her voice had not been altered. The person that she assumed was here with her kept his silence. This wasn't settling her nerves in the slightest, and she decided to walk forward herself to approach this unknown being.

"Step no closer."

A male voice warned. Doing as she was told, she gasped and halted in her tracks. This voice... it was the Count! What was he doing here?

"Count? What... where are we?"

She dared to ask again.

"You don't know it? That doesn't surprise me. You've ignored it for so long."

He remarked. Something she had neglected? She didn't play dumb; she knew what he was referring to, and didn't suppress her sigh.

"It's nothing, Avenger. Leave it be."

"It's not _nothing_. It's eating you alive."

Now was the time for her to admit defeat. If he had gotten this far, she could no longer hide anything from him. This was personal stuff; stuff she had tried to discard of, but obviously, she hadn't. If what he was saying was true, then everything was still here, festering like magma in a volcano ready to erupt. She prayed he wouldn't see this, nor force himself to see this pitiful side of her. This carcass of mistakes called Robin Fea.

"If I am where I think we are...,"

Robin began, her voice trembling,

"This is an old place. This is who I was, not who I am. It's okay. Nothing is going to hurt me, and nothing is going to hurt you. It's harmless."

The Count scoffed,

"Harmless, you say?"

It was time to put on her big girl britches and 'fess up. No more hiding it; it was all out in the open in front of them.

"Yes, harmless. Don't meddle with the past; I've grown and learned from it, and it has no power over me. I would prefer if you left it alone."

Her voice sounded as if it had dropped an octave as she got serious.

"You would, wouldn't you? You say that as if you know what I'm talking about, but I haven't even shown you."

What? Was she mistaken? Her fragile demeanor was back as she stared at the nothingness in front of her quizzically. She was expecting him to show her something, to have some source of light, but it never came. The Count was learning too much about her too fast and she wasn't sure what to make of it all. She was overtly ashamed of who she once was, but never to this extent. It was as if a pit opened up in her stomach and terror was running through it. She gently shook her head in bewilderment of herself and covered her invisible mouth with her invisible hands. Tears were bound to flow, but if they were ever to come, that was another question entirely.

"You've done this to yourself, Master. Using the burdens of others to mend your own wounds... taking it upon yourself to soak them up from their hosts. Foolish."

The Count's words tugged at her heart.

"Maybe I am, but I don't want anyone to be afflicted by their pain. I will take it upon myself to let it harbor within my heart. I am strong enough to not let it affect me, Count."

"No, you are not."

He was partially correct. While she acted as a Tattle Turtle for people's turmoil, she was patching up her own turmoil with the bandages provided from making those people happy in return. It wasn't a permanent fix, but it satisfied her nonetheless. In times like these, however, some bandages grow loose and her sorrows creep up on her. It's like putting a band-aid on a poisoned heart to keep the poison from spreading, but when that band-aid gets loose, the poison seeps into the rest of the body like a serpent... that is, until the band-aid is replaced or the heart is repaired, in which case the rest of the body is relieved by the poison, but the scars still remain.

"You are quite the interesting Master."

The Count broke the silence, which caught her attention faster than she was expecting it to. Her reaction times weren't the best, but after being put on edge, she astounded herself with how quickly she would react. Her first initial instinct was to rebuke him, but whether or not he would listen was plaguing her intuition. As if knowing this, her servant spoke once more.

"There's something on your mind, isn't there? Don't let it weld into your accumulated mass of sorrows."

His voice was harsh against her ears, let alone her conscience, and she hesitated to respond. He was perceptive even in this darkness? Both of them were just full of surprises, weren't they? It almost made her laugh, but a petrifying gaze froze her voice over.

"Do you...,"

Amidst the silence and shadows, her hushed words were like wisps of air on an autumn morning. It hurt to speak; every breath scratched against her throat like burning hot coals. This wasn't fair... Avenger wasn't supposed to be here! Wherever they were, it wasn't a pretty place that Robin wanted to be, but he was making her face it head-on. She couldn't understand why, but knew that this had to be for the greater good, right? He had a reason for coming here, and had a reason to show her this.

"Do you hate me, Count?"

She forced out. Beneath the emptiness, her Servant was frowning at her before sighing louder than he had intended to.

"You have given me no reason to hate you. Is that what you have been fretting about?"

Robin shook her head, but was alleviated of a couple thousand tons off her conscience. He didn't hate her, that was good. He didn't sound like he was going to try to dissect her reasoning, and she didn't feel like explaining it.

"I'm... I don't know. I _have_ been worrying about it a lot, but I— it's stupid. You haven't even been here more than two weeks; I shouldn't be expecting a bond to form so fast-"

"The Master-Servant relationship isn't enough of a bond?"

...Fair point. She hadn't thought about that,

"You want something greater than that, right, Master?"

She was ashamed to admit it, but slowly nodded her head. The Count gave a laugh as if to say it's nothing to be ashamed of, but of course, that was just how she interpreted the laughter of his that followed. She would need to have a laugh-translator for him... he laughed more than he spoke. He opened his mouth to speak, but resorted to silence instead.

"...I am going to fend off this amalgamation of shattered dreams. I will never let it reach your subconscious."

Tactfully avoiding the subject, there was a clicking noise followed by the igniting of a small flame. Behind that light that lasted no more than a couple seconds, Robin could make out a set of steady yellow eyes glancing down at a cigarette between his lips. Could he do that? Could he smoke in this place? She shouldn't ask so many questions. After all, she was technically considered a _mage_ of all things. The Count of Monte Cristo could have a smoke in the depths of her soul. The brunette broke a smile.

"I am strong enough in that regard, Count."

"No, you are not."

Everything grew frigid as if caused by the Count's intimidating voice,

"When this manifests, it will kill you, as it has tried to many times before. One day, you will succumb to its madness, its frenzy, its hatred... its pain. I will not let it have that chance."

Robin's eyes welled with tears as she realized what he was doing to himself by declaring that. On one hand, she admired him for it, but her moral compass wasn't having it. It was as if said compass were going haywire, and he was the metal interfering with its directions.

"I don't want to put that burden on you!"

Her words were trembling as much as her now clenched fists. This emptiness was starting to get annoying, but she understood why he might have liked it here. It was dark, he could blend into the shadows, he didn't have to be seen by anyone... it was practically paradise. She enjoyed it for a time, but that was long ago, and she preferred to leave the past... well, in the past. From out of the darkness, a faint red glow emerged from where she assumed the Count's eyes were.

"Are you a wasteland of woes and sorrows? This will only get in the way if you strive for the Grail. Or, perhaps, it won't. The grail is already seething with human desires... with everything evil...,"

He hummed as he thought to himself,

"I don't know why you seek the Grail. Someone like yourself should have no need for something so tainted by damnation."

The Holy Grail was corrupt several wars ago. Everyone knew that, even Robin. Nevertheless, she wanted to retrieve the Grail and wish for peace. Before you say it's vague, it might be, but there's more. She did not want hostility to rule over the minds of men. She wanted peace to return to where it was before these seemingly worthless wars for the Grail; for their selfish wish to be granted. If only people were not driven to fight each other... if only she could show everyone happiness and love.

"It might sound selfish to you—"

"Do not assume anything about me or about anyone. You are not doing yourself any favors."

Very well. Robin cleared her throat and began again, this time without dodging the subject.

"I want to restore peace and love back to the world. Everywhere I look, there's crime and hatred and hurt and... I don't want anyone else to be hurt by something we can avoid. I want to obtain the Grail mostly to be able to remind everyone that we are all brothers and sisters, and we don't fight! We're not animals! Say what you want, but I'm never giving up hope."

That was a mouthful. She wasn't used to standing up so confidently for her beliefs and ideals. The Count, processing her answer, only guffawed. "Hope"... how ironic. This was definitely going to be an interesting contract. How was she going to put up with him? He would be lying if he said he weren't the least bit fascinated. She was a remarkable Master thus far, and every day was like opening a new door in a labyrinth filled with them. She managed to stay conscious even after summoning a Servant like himself and slept like a baby until her afternoon class the same day. Her mana had been depleted tremendously, but she trudged on like a champ enough for not even her best friend to notice.

She wasn't even afraid of him. The Count's glare could easily strike terror into the hearts of others, but she was immune. If anything, even his silence could put a smile on her face, as if she knew what he would have said... when he himself wouldn't have known what he would've said. She reminded him of her, but it was too soon to tell, and he despised himself for ever making a comparison, but... just after a week or two, he could see the glimmer of hope in her hazel eyes that radiated like the sun rising above the trees. It was intoxicating.

Robin wouldn't have seen this, but the Count lowered the rim of his hat and huffed. Dancing between his fingers was the butt of his cigarette, and he eventually crumpled the still burning bit to ashes with his thumb and index finger. _I've learned a lot_ , he wanted to say. It was still too early in his eyes, but with the contract already made and him knowing her wish for the Grail to fulfill...

"Wait, how long have we been here? Am I in a coma? Why didn't I think of this earlier?! Bryn is probably so worried about me! Oh my goodness—"

Robin's fears spilled over unexpectedly, and this time, he couldn't help but bellow out in laughter. Both of them left the dreary hellhole and their spirits returned to their rightful places on Earth.

  
——————————————

Eyes shooting open, the brunette almost fell out of the bed when she whipped the covers off so forcefully. She's going to be late for— oh. Her phone read 6:30 PM. Barely thirty minutes had passed. It felt like an eternity! ... Well, here she was. She definitely didn't feel as bad as she did before, and thanked Count for helping her through that rough patch and easing her anxieties. Hopefully he didn't feel like she had to be her therap— ack! Ow!

  
A weird sensation overwhelmed her suddenly, but went away faster than it came. The Count didn't like her assuming things... that must have been the reason behind it. She gave an awkward smile and eventually sat herself up on her bed; bringing her phone up to her in the process. No Magi+ notifications? Oh, right. She had turned them off. It didn't hurt to check now, did it?

  
The first post in the news feed was from the church. In big letters, it told about a quarrel that had broken out near an art museum. No other information was given except for that there were two people involved and warned everyone to stay clear of passerby when using magic. That was typical of Big Wig posts, though. There were unread notifications of other people raving about the French Literature incident and a post by CMA themselves saying they were going to fix the hole in the ceiling as soon as possible. With magic, they could probably repair it with ease, right? Robin never meddled with that business, though.

  
As she was skimming over her messages, a text popped up from B.  
 **B** : BRUH  
 **B** : BRUH  
 **B** : YOU MISSED IT. I JUST FOUGHT SABER


	21. Take Me To Church

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i have like. two chapters named after cheesy songs JKHGSDKJG im so sorry. also!!!!! please forgive me for not updating in more than a month! i was preparing for finals, and now that theyre over, i plan to publish more chapters! before i do, however, i want to make several announcements. ROBIN HOOD has been replaced by KARNA. my friend and co-author(?) wanted me to change it, and im thankful that i was able to! please forgive me, robin hood fans T^T. now that we have a lancer, i needed to add in an archer! ELISABETH BATHORY has been replaced by JAMES MORIARTY. i love my grandpa ok LOL. 
> 
> please enjoy this new chapter!! its long, but you can do it i believe in you <3 thank you for sticking with me and thank you for your continued support! 
> 
> xoxo,  
> VenomousQueen

**B** : Okay that was literally the closest I’ve ever come to seeing the light.  
**B** : I’m gonna go to the Church and get some life insurance. Wanna come with?  
  
They didn’t offer life insurance through the Church, did they? … Oh! Bryn must have meant it metaphorically! That makes more sense.  
  
Robin had begun reorganizing her entire dorm since yesterday’s encounter with the Count in attempts to get her mind off of it. She appreciated his concern, but she wasn’t ready to face “that” just yet. Tidying up and playing J-pop at the same time seemed to do the trick in distracting her, despite her servant refusing to show his face. Perhaps he didn’t like her choice of music? It was certainly better than instrumentals.  
  
As soon as Robin received the text from Bryn, she picked up her cell phone that was resting on her desk and sat down in her chair. Before she even thought about leaving campus, she really had to shower. All of this cleaning, let alone in flannel pajamas, made her incredibly sweaty. It was a miracle she didn’t start physically melting.  
  
**Robin** : sure!! i have to shower first tho… ive been cleaning all day oops  
  
She replied, and looked up from her screen to be greeted by a looming Count. The brunette made a startled peep and went to stand up in order to meet his face. Staring down at her only frightened her, and she had already made it her goal to not be afraid of him. As soon as their eyes met and she could see his cross-shaped iris, she gave a sheepish grin before explaining what she was up to.  
  
“Hi, Count! I’m going to take a shower and go to the church with Bryn. I’ll be right back. Excuse me…”  
  
She muttered the last part to herself as she squeezed between Avenger and her chair; taking her shower basket and perusing her closet to find something cute to wear. Her cardigan was a must, but should she wear leggings or a skirt? Leggings worked, and her Ciao Cat leggings were clean, so why not wear them out? If she was wearing Ciao Cat pants, she at least had to match it with a Ciao Cat shirt. Unfortunately, that shirt had a stain on it, and she hadn’t gotten around to washing it yet. The next best thing was her white Ciao Cat sweater that had the mascot’s face embroidered across the chest. To top it all off, she dragged her pink Gugs out from the abyss of her closet and left them in the doorway for easy access when she returned from the shower.  
  
As she folded her clothes for the day and tucked them into her shower basket, the brunette swiftly retrieved a beige bra from the dresser in her closet and stuffed it into the basket as well along with Ciao Cat panties. The Count didn’t need to see that, and thankfully, it seemed like he had his attention fixated on her birdcage that lacked a bird. You couldn’t have pets on campus, but Robin got the cage solely for the aesthetic and put fake blue hydrangeas in there to fill the space. She would change out the flowers occasionally, but she had a soft spot for hydrangeas. They were her mom’s favorite.  
  
Giving a quick goodbye, the girl rushed to the showering area. Thankfully, there wasn’t anyone there, so she could contemplate life— I mean, shower— in peace. All was well until, twenty minutes later, finally deciding to turn of the water, she realized she had forgotten her towel. How could she have forgotten something so important?! Was she really that unfocused? She never assumed that her contemplation would have side-tracked her mind so far as to _forget her towel_. What a crime! What-  
  
“You forgot your towel.”  
  
A voice said. Robin screeched and hid herself behind the shower curtain. When she peeked out, she saw the Count of Monte Cristo standing there with her towel neatly folded in his arms. How did he get in? Wait, bathrooms weren’t segregated by gender. Or were they, and he had come in without confrontation because no one else showered at this hour? There were too many questions that she didn’t have the energy to find the answer to. Sighing, she held out her arm from beyond the shower to retrieve her towel.  
  
“Thank you, Count.”  
  
With a curt nod, he vanished. Now she could dry off without the fear of him or anyone else seeing her atrocious stretch marks and folds! Folds? They should really be called rolls or sacks of regret, because they wouldn’t go away as much as she had wanted them to. And bread rolls were tasty… not related to body rolls in the slightest. What was she thinking? She had to get ready to go to the Church with Bryn! Her friend didn’t give a specific time, so the brunette didn’t rush in getting ready, as evident in her twenty-minute shower. Slipping on her clothes before brushing her short wavy hair, she stood in front of the mirror to make sure her outfit was on point and her body was presentable. It was for the most part, and anything Ciao Cat related made her look cute! Pink lip gloss, mascara, eyeliner, and her big glasses would top this off perfectly. Yay for body positivity! Or at least trying!  
  
Walking back to her dorm, she unlocked the door with her key and turned on the light only to hear the faintest hiss. Was that…?  
  
“Oh my goodness, I’m sorry! Did that startle you?”  
  
She gasped, as her Servant seemed to be tilting his hat and head down to hide his eyes. His back was turned to her as he was looking out the window before she came in, but his Master could tell he was stiff.  She put her shower basket back in its assigned location and pulled out a duo of socks from a separate drawer in her dresser.  
  
“I am not used to the light. That’s all.”  
  
He eventually replied. The girl wasn’t sure what kind of answer she was expecting, and was a bit worried with herself when she accepted his answer so nonchalantly. That’s just how the Count was, and she wasn’t bothered by it. Next time, she’ll warn him before turning on the overhead lights. She thought they were kind of bright, too. Throwing herself up onto her bed, she crossed her legs and brushed her feet off with her sock to wipe off any crumbs or dirt that she had managed to step on. This was her way of assuring nothing poked her feet while she walked. She hated when things got in her shoe. After slipping on her Gugs, she slid down from her bed and perked up on the pads of her toes like a ballerina. Her outfit was all done!  
  
**B** : Yo fam I’m finna head out. Meet me outside the dorms.  
  
Her phone chimed to alert the brunette of a new message. Robin gasped as soon as she opened it. Oh no, did this mean she was late?! She hadn’t even gotten the Count ready! Speaking of which…  
  
“Um, Count? Since we’re going to be going out in public, I brought you some clothes to help you fit in. Granted, they’re not the greatest, but we can go shopping after we go to the church, okay? Let me get them from my suitcase.”  
  
While she spoke, she got on her hands and knees to retrieve a pastel pink wool sweater and black jeans. Tossing them up onto her bed, she stood back up and held the over-sized sweater in front of him. It was over-sized in her standards, but would it be the same for the Count? Looking at the sweater and back at the avenger who glared at the garment, she gave an anxious laugh.  
  
“I’m sorry, this is all I brought. That’s why I suggested that we go shopping later so we can find you some clothes that you like. You won’t be outside for long, I promise. I’m sorry if you feel humiliated.”  
  
At her apology, he shook his head.  
  
“You came prepared. I will wear this just this once. Pink is not a befitting color on me.”  
  
Well, he was honest. He grimaced as he took the cutesy sweater into his gloved hands; the flames permeating from his body seemingly fearful of it as they avoided contact with what was rightfully Robin’s clothes. She couldn’t help but grin. He was holding it out so far away from him! Did the Count have a fear of sweaters?  
  
“I’ll look away while you get dressed. If you need anything, let me know and I can try to help.”  
  
Robin offered. After turning away, she only had to wait a short while for him to change. At his instruction, she spun on her feet to gaze upon the Count of Monte Cristo in a pink sweater, black jeans, his dress shoes, and hat. The hat definitely had to go, but the shoes were fine. She could tell he was trying desperately to hide his distaste; he was pursing his lips so hard that they turned white.  
  
“Your hat doesn’t really match, Count. You can leave it here if you’d like. Then again, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you without it…”  
  
His Master mused, and he narrowed his eyes at her in defiance. There was no way he was taking off his hat for any reason whatsoever. When they went shopping, they could purchase another one, but he was not going to be seen without it. Thankfully, Robin got the cue, and picked up her phone and ita bag.  
  
“You can keep the hat on, then. Whenever you’re ready, we can head out.”  
  
She gave in to his glare and made an exception. He trailed behind her as she walked towards her door, which told her that he was ready. He really needed to use his words, but maybe she was so good at picking up his nonverbal cues that he felt like he didn’t have to. While that might be true, she liked hearing his voice. It was soothing to her for some reason. Wait! He can read her mind! Stop daydreaming, Robin! Her cheeks flushed a deep red, and by the time they got outside, Bryn laughed at her for it.  
  
“You look like a tomato, and Avenger looks like he just stepped out of Barbie’s dream house. Is this your attempts at blending him in?”  
  
The raven-haired girl teased. Lancer, who stood beside her, had his silver hair in a messy pony tail with bangs flattened over his right eye. He wore a white jacket with a red hood, a blue t-shirt, jeans, and white sneakers. Basic, but versatile. He even had an earring in the shape of a donut! That was probably one of Bryn’s. The lancer traced the avenger’s outfit with his eyes and nodded.  
  
“Those pants are short on you.”  
  
Bryn’s Servant confirmed. The Count frowned and glowered at him; the black wisps of flame finally seeping out from his new clothes. Now they were officially a part of him. Is that how it worked? Robin, still flustered, rebuked her friend’s comment.  
  
“This is all I had for him! I told him we would go shopping later so he wouldn’t have to wear my clothes.”  
  
“Whatever you say, dude.”  
  
…………………………………  
  
The walk to the church wasn’t a long one, or at least Robin didn’t think so. The scenic route was filled with bustling businesses, apartments, and kiosks littering the streets. People were walking along the streets both ways like an intersection of cars, and the brunette couldn’t help but watch the pastries in the windows go by. Their delectable, sugary aroma filled the air and made her mouth water. The Count, noticing this, said nothing. She had every right to want to try a French pastry. He enjoyed them once.  
  
Bryn, on the other hand, was constantly watching the map on her phone to make sure they were going the right way. Her Servant would frequently point in the direction her app was suggesting they take, which got an affirming nod from the Master. He was glad he could help, even if it was something as minimal as confirming the map’s instructions. Even in crowded streets like these, no one suspected a thing. Or at least Robin didn’t get that impression. Maybe she was too distracted by the treats and lattes that were literally everywhere to notice. What was there to worry about when—  
  
“Robi! Robi!”  
  
A child came running towards her and tugged at her shirt. Bryn and Lancer stopped and turned around to see what the commotion was about, only to hear Robin grin. The young boy flashed the henna tattoo on his hand at the two strangers and waved to his friends in the nearby alleyway to come out. Four more children scurried over to the pastel-adorned girl and greeted her with nasal-y “Bonjour!”s. These four also had henna tattoos on their hands, each one unique to each child. Lancer, upon noticing the brown tint of their false Command Spells, stared in awe.  
  
“Is that henna?”  
  
He asked quietly; not expecting an answer. His Master’s friend heard him and nodded as the children circled around her to hug against her thighs.  
  
“Yes! I gave henna tattoos to some children a while back, and it looks like they remember me. Your tattoos are holding up very well!”  
  
She beamed at them. They looked up at her and basked in her approval. The advantages of living near a city were the bountiful opportunities to help the community! Robin was trying to do good deeds as promoted by her family and, most importantly, her religion, and what better way than making the children happy? Making people happy was one of her favorite things to do, but when she could put a smile on a little boy or girl’s face, she felt elated. These people were going to be the next generation, after all. Not only that, but, as a young girl, she prayed she would meet someone so… oh. Hmm. That’s a bit of a touchy subject.  
  
“Who’s the old man in the pink sweater?”  
  
The first little boy question. The children giggled and failed to notice the furious aura the Count was giving off. Kids will be kids, right? Robin, trying to find a way to snap him out of it, hummed and clicked her tongue to get the kids’ attention.  
  
“He’s not an old man. This is…”  
  
“My accomplice.”  
  
Avenger interrupted. “Accomplice”? Robin understood making things up on the fly, but why did he choose that word? An accomplice was someone who helps someone commit a crime, and the only crime here was his outfit! It was her fault that he was wearing a pastel pink sweater and black jeans, but that was probably not the reason why the Count used the word “accomplice” in the first place. It didn’t help to worry about it, so she sighed and broke a smile.  
  
“Yes. I’m sorry I can’t stay, my friend and I are going to the church. We haven’t visited it yet.”  
  
The children ooh-ed and beckoned to go with her. The Count shook his head and told them that it was urgent; it would be safer if they stayed behind. They seemed to understand and backed off away from Robin, much to the avenger’s relief. He didn’t do well around incompetence. These were children; of course they were incompetent, but his vengeance held no exceptions. Lancer gently tugged at Bryn’s jacket and leaned in to whisper to her about the Count’s visible grudge. Bryn bit her lip and spoke up.  
  
“I wanna go so I can uh… praise Jesus. You know what they say: No rest for the wicked. We can’t rest, y’all!”  
  
Robin laughed at Bryn’s satirical comment and walked over to her. The kids frowned, but eventually perked back up to bid her adieu. Or bid her au revoir? Either one worked. The peachy Master followed behind her friend with a grin on her face. The children recognized her and were ecstatic to see her again! She thought about what else she could do for and with them. Hot cocoa and stargazing were great, but would they sit still for that long? Storytelling, arts and crafts… what could they do in the winter? Storytelling might be her best bet, especially since she came from America. She could tell them all about what life was like back home! They had probably never left France. Purchasing a plane ticket to anywhere around the world was like forking out a loan, and not everyone had the privilege to travel across the globe. Her study abroad program was paid for partially by a scholarship; without it, there was no way she could have afforded coming here for a semester.  
  
Bryn stopped abruptly when her phone chimed and said “You have arrived at Cathédrale De La Reine Des Anges”. The Count scowled and folded his arms in disappointment. That device butchered the pronunciation. Do the developers have no shame? His Master wanted to step aside to let his rage manifest or something, but instead, courageously stood by his side. Lancer, however, turned around to ask what was the matter.  
  
“That is not how you pronounce the name. It’s pronounced “ _Cathédrale De La Reine Des Anges_ ”.”  
  
Avenger corrected; a twinge of disgust in his voice. Poor Robin was not expecting his French to sweep her off her feet. Her bottom lip quivered, and she hurried to cover her mouth with her hand. Would that make her blushing too obvious? Yes, yes it would. Lancer grinned and Bryn waggled her eyebrows after Avenger casted his glance to the side. His voice was so deep and lulling and soft and the brunette thought she had experienced the milk and honey from Heaven just through his voice. What was with this overwhelming feeling? She had never felt this before, she was panicking, and—  
  
“You liked that, didn’t you Robin?”  
  
Bryn cooed in a nasal-y voice. Robin’s blush was so deep that it spread to her ears and across her entire face. “I don’t know what’s happening!” She wanted to say, but instead, all that came out were childish whines. His voice was too nice! The avenger didn’t notice how flustered his Master was, but felt a sensation in his chest comparable to the feeling of gulping down a warm cup of coffee. He didn’t like this, but he was relieved of the burden when Lancer disrupted the silence.  
  
“Master, you should go inside. Avenger and I will wait for you here.”  
  
The heterochromic Servant assured, and Bryn gave him a thumbs up. Thank goodness for that; they probably wouldn’t get anywhere with Robin so shaken by her affection towards her Servant if someone else wasn’t here to keep them on track. Robin cleared her throat, took a deep breath, and brushed her hair behind her rosy ear. She was calming down, thankfully, and the Count turned his attention to her to make sure she was alright. Now that he had a formal look at her, he could tell she had been severely flushed, almost to the point where he might have mistook her to have caught cold. What was she so emotional about that it made him feel something? The only thing he could feel was rage, and that previous feeling was foreign and far from anger. He almost wanted to burst out into hysterical laughter after something so trivial. Why was he wrapping his mind around something so minimal? It was truly laughable! How vile! He was the Count of Monte Cristo! He was beyond love; beyond hatred! He—  
  
“Go, Master. It will be safer in there than out here. Tell them your business and be brief. You will be okay.”  
  
Lancer directed and was grateful that his Master and her friend finally went into the church. As soon as Robin stepped inside and the door closed behind the two girls, the Count laughed to himself for a moment before giving a sigh. This was certainly going to be an interesting contract. Lancer, as if cautious of the man's underlying emotions, took a casual step to the side. It was better to be safe than sorry.   
  
Inside the Church, Robin was in awe of the stained glass and artifacts placed around the hallway entrance. If the name of this church contained the word “cathedral”, should she be calling it a cathedral instead? They were called “The Church” everywhere else, so that was probably their appropriated name in the context of the magi world. There was no one there, oddly enough, and Bryn cleared her throat totally not to test the acoustics. Not bad! As if on cue, a priest leisurely strolled into the entrance hall and greeted them.  
  
“ _Good evening. Welcome to Queen of Angels Cathedral. What has brought you here to our Lord’s house?_ ”  
  
He asked them entirely in French. Both girls exchanged puzzled looks, then put up a friendly facade for the priest without knowing a word he said.  
  
“Bonjour!”  
  
They said in unison. The priest chuckled and approached them so as to not shout in front of the blessed sacrament just beyond the second set of doors.  
  
“Where are my manners? I sincerely apologize. My name is Father Artus. What brings you here to our Lord’s house?”  
  
How in the world were they supposed to bring up the Holy Grail War? This was the church, right? Robin was confused, but Bryn didn’t give off any anxious vibes. Instead, the ebony-haired girl nonchalantly scratched the bridge of her nose with her right index finger; the hand that housed her Command Spells. Father Artus hummed in understanding and beckoned the girls to come with him. He led them to the Church itself where the Tabernacle was displayed and scoped the area to make sure no one was listening before he began.  
  
“You have come here with accompaniment from your friend to confirm that you are a Master, have you not?”  
  
“Yeah. I dunno if I’m too early or too late, but…”  
  
He interrupted Bryn with a gentle grin.  
  
“You are just in time. That makes seven confirmed Masters. Thank you very much. What Class is your Servant?”  
  
Robin was shocked that he would ask such a thing. Wasn’t that private? This was the church, but did they really meddle with a magus’ business like this? Maybe it was just so they could keep tabs on everything going on. Maybe she would know for sure if she didn’t fall asleep in Masters Basics that one time. It was just for a minute! Could she really miss such important information in sixty seconds of unconsciousness?  
  
“Um, Lancer. Lancer Class.”  
  
Bryn replied. Father Artus pondered for a moment before nodding. It was as if he needed a moment to process the information. The priest looked as if he were getting ready to leave, or at least Robin thought so, and she stuttered trying to get his attention. She had to tell him that she was a Master too! Where was courage when she needed it?  
  
“W-Wait. Um…”  
  
He stopped in his tracks, both literally and figuratively, and focused his attention on her. He had just assumed she tagged along as moral support for the other young lady, but there was supposedly more to it than that. The brunette tugged her Ciao Cat mitten off her left hand and held it out for the priest. Was this the right way to do it? Bryn didn’t dispute with her, and hopefully she wouldn’t. He gasped at the sight of her Command Spells as he thought aloud.  
  
“An eighth Master… I see. How peculiar. Only seven Servants have been sighted, but this tells me there is an eighth one still not accounted for. Your Servant must have a skill that conceals its presence. That is helpful, but possibly troublesome if the Church cannot track it. May I have your name? And yours too, madame.”  
  
The priest nodded towards Bryn. Robin gulped. She really needed to get over her fear of priests.  
  
“My name is Robin Fea, Father Artus. It’s… nice to meet you.”  
  
She paused halfway, but managed a warm smile. If he wasn’t already surprised to hear that there was an eighth Master, he was astounded to hear that it was a Fea. A relative of the last Holy Grail War’s victor. There was so much he didn’t know about her, but he could confirm that, from what was said about Trevor Fea in the news, she was nothing like him. Trevor was easy to get along with and seemingly easy to read, but the one time Father Artus met him in person, the priest could tell there were problems stirring within the young man’s soul that were not yet settled or acknowledged. Robin had a similar vibe, which concerned him, but he kept his silence. It wasn’t his place to prod at her emotions.  
  
“A Fea, you say? How are you related to Trevor, if I may ask?”  
  
Robin hesitated to respond because Bryn hadn’t gotten the chance to introduce herself, but she didn’t want to seem rude by not answering his question. She hated making important decisions like this!  
  
“He’s my younger brother. He’s been studying magecraft longer than I have, though.”  
  
He’s at Chaldea now. That might have been classified information, so she kept her mouth shut. He hummed again as he nodded. He didn’t doubt her skills as a mage if she, as Trevor’s older sister, had made it this far. Almost forgetting the raven-haired girl was there, he apologized and asked for her name.  
  
“Bryn Moratalla. Don’t worry, Robin’s pretty famous for her last name, so.”  
  
She joked to ease the tension.  
  
“Don’t say that, my child. You are just as important as anyone else. Do not discredit yourself. I have not heard the Moratalla name before, so I am assuming you are a new magus. I congratulate you for your hard efforts. They have not gone unnoticed.”  
  
He reassured her. Bryn muttered a “thank you, father” and prepared herself to hear Robin finally reveal Avenger's identity. Calling him Avenger or some other variant of his Servant Class was normal, but Bryn thought it was so exhausting. Why did he demand to be called that when it was so much easier to call him by his True Name? She hadn’t asked Robin about it… maybe she should. Did she even know Avenger's True Name? That would be a great conversation starter. “Hey, is Avenger so edgy that he doesn’t want you calling him by his True Name or something?”. Robin probably wouldn’t like that, but either way, it made Bryn chuckle. It was worth it if it could make her laugh.  
  
“Robin, what Class is your Servant? You have done a phenomenal job keeping them from public eye.”  
  
Both literally public and in the sense of other magi public. The Ciao Cat-adorned girl grinned anxiously and rubbed her arms together slowly like a cricket in attempts to ease her tension. She did weird things to calm herself down; biting her cuticles while talking to people was one of them. Thankfully, her coping mechanism of choice wasn’t that bad at the moment. Come on, Robin! Saying it is so easy! You can trust him! Can she?  
  
“Um… ah…,”  
  
“No need to rush. I have all the time in the world.”  
  
That was a strange thing to say, but she rolled with it. She wouldn’t have said anything better anyway.  
  
“An Avenger.”  
  
A breeze brushed past the three of them, and she prayed it was coincidence. The man’s eyes were wide with fear, but held just the slightest bit of interest. Did he underestimate her? Someone so shy and introverted and soft-spoken could not possibly be able to summon an Avenger. The amount of pain that went into summoning one was unspeakable; no one had ever done it! Avengers feasted off of negative emotions to gain power, and everything else about the Class was an enigma. There were no recorded Avengers in history besides AM, but it was not possible to summon it. Father Artus was utterly terrified.  
  
“An Avenger? Is that correct?”  
  
“Yes, Father.”  
  
He shuddered at her confirmation.  
  
“Very well. Thank you both for coming here today. Robin, I pray you stay safe from harm. I do not know what your Servant will do to your well-being. Best of luck to both of you. The Holy Grail War has begun.”  
  
With that, they were dismissed, and the priest went on his merry way. Robin felt a pit in her stomach and she bowed her head. Thankfully, Bryn noticed, and brought her in for a hug. Everything was going to be okay. She wouldn’t let Avenger hurt her best friend in any way, shape, or form if she had anything to say about it. Kar- … Lancer would help, too. Little did she know that the brunette was more upset that she frightened the priest.  
  
Outside, Lancer was standing by himself; preoccupied by his cellular device. There was a lot of information on “Google” about the strangest things. He may or may not have texted his Master hyperlinks to places she could buy henna from. He perked up at the distant sound of Bryn and Robin conversing and smiled at his Master in affirmation. The raven-haired girl waved at him, as did Robin, but barely. She must have noticed Avenger's absence. Hopping down the steps, Bryn made her way over to Lancer and leaned over to see what was on his phone. Darnit, the screen was off. Aw man!  
  
“Guys, where’s Cou-... Avenger?”  
  
Robin asked, her heart filled with worry; worry that she spilled the beans to her Servant's identity and worry that he was nowhere to be found. Bryn looked around and shrugged, and the lancer pointed down at the brunette’s shoe. Her shadow had begun lifting up off the ground like some three dimensional entity as black flames ignited in the air. The Count manifested from the conglomerate of darkness and stood behind her. He had a cold expression, but his Master was delighted to see him well. He was in his usual attire this time, but she didn’t seem to mind.  
  
“Oh! There you are! We’re going to go to Mal-Wart now to get you some clothes. Or…”  
  
Wait, had she asked if Bryn wanted to tag along? She had forgotten if she had or not, and didn’t want her friend to feel like she had to go if she didn’t want to. Bryn and Lancer had already done their Mal-Wart run for clothes, and now it was her turn. There was nothing wrong with that, but the brunette wasn’t sure if Count would like the selection. He was a Count after all, and Mal-Wart didn’t have anything that suited that stereotype. Suits? No. Blazers? Absolutely not. Goofy t-shirts? Plenty. This wasn’t looking too good. She twiddled with her fingers.  
  
“Wait, do you want to come with us? I can’t remember if I asked or not.”  
  
She finally asked. Bryn was more than happy to comply, as was her Servant. They weren’t doing anything, and she had already finished her homework, so there was nothing standing in the way of a Mal-Wart run.  
  
“I’m cool with it! I need to pick up groceries anyway and it’s right by campus.”  
  
That worked out better than she thought! Thank goodness. Robin was excited to be going to Mal-Wart with Bryn for the first time since their arrival in France. Any other time Robin had to get groceries, she had it delivered to her. She loved shopping, but classes consumed her life more than anything, and now that the Count needed clothes, she had a reasonable excuse to shop. As they retraced their steps to traverse to the supermarket, Robin examined the shops on the opposite side of the street they first walked along. The shops were vastly different; this time with tourist stores, mom-and-pop shops, and even a perfume store that overwhelmed her when they walked past it. She would definitely have to walk around here more often. If only it weren’t so far. A couple miles of walking was hiker’s work.  
  
Mal-Wart was a lot bigger than she had been expecting. What was she expecting? Not even she knew. Bryn put her phone in her pocket after analyzing the map as they traveled, and Lancer was content. As long as his Master was fine, he was fine. Robin was listing off all the things she wanted to find as if she had her own scavenger hunt set up, and Avenger trailed behind her like a specter.  
  
“If you wish not to worry your Master, please change into a different outfit.”  
  
The lancer advised the avenger. With a soul-crushing glare, Count’s cloak melted away like an ice cream cone on a hot summer day; leaving behind Robin’s pink sweater and jeans. Was he wearing that underneath his attire the entire time, or was that how he changed outfits? Robin watched in fascination as his recognizable cloak soaked into his shoes like a sponge, and was late to look away when Count fired a glare at her.  
  
“Let’s go shopping!”  
  
Robin sang as she bounced on her feet. It was better to distract herself from impending doom after being caught gawking at her Servant _by_ her Servant. When they finally walked through the sliding doors, she was greeted by chatter and clanking shopping carts. Ah… just like home! She loved the supermarket. It was no different here than it was in America except for the selection of foods, which piqued the Count’s interest. She was happy to see him so involved. Was that the right word to say? She didn’t know much about him, and every little detail was caught by her and over-analyzed to its core. The fact that her Servant flocked to the coffee beans was a detail in itself. He must like coffee! As if that weren’t apparent by the times he had brought her coffee from the cafeteria on days she went to sleep later than normal.  
  
Being as distracted as she was, she almost didn’t catch the vibration of her phone in her pocket. Pulling it out to see who it was, she noticed in the notification bar that it was an email titled “URGENT: Tomorrow- 4:00”. What kind of spam email- wait. It was sent by Doctor Manigault. What did he want that was so urgent? She stopped in the middle of the store and opened the email; terror wracking her entire body.  
  
Robin Fea,  
Please come to my office in room 21A at the Administrative Building at precisely 4:00 PM tomorrow. It is across the academic building on the first floor. I have an important question to ask of you. Please keep this between us. Don’t think I won’t know if you told Miss Moratalla. This is URGENT. Come alone, and I will see you then.  
  
-Dr. Maxime Manigault, PhD.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my friend and co-author(?) is planning to write what happens during the fight with saber that bryn has at the end of the previous chapter! i will put a link to it somewhere when it is released! <3 thanks again!!!


	22. Diary Entry 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING for medication mention!! its technically crossed out, but it's still there.

I feel so bad for not having a diary entry as of late, I’m sorry!! Things have been pretty hectic recently, and I have a lot of explaining to do; not only in this diary, but to Count. And I’m too nervous!!! What should I do? I don’t want him to find out about the things I’ve done in the past ~~, or the person I was before I started medication~~. That’s not who I am anymore, and I can’t even write about it without feeling sick to my stomach. This isn’t fair. I need to be assertive, but I can’t! This is such a huge character flaw of mine, and I hate it! I wish I could just forget everything that happened (emotionally) for the first sixteen or seventeen years of my life, but Avenger is dragging those memories back up. I keep comparing it to acid reflux, because that’s what it feels like, and I don’t know how else to describe it. I’m sorry if this sounds confusing, I’m really sorry! I just can’t talk about it anymore!! It hurts too much! T^T  
  
I should get my mind off of it. Venting about it in this diary won’t make me feel better. Besides, the original intention for this journal was to record how I felt about my day in a positive way. Positivity is my way of life! I couldn’t function without it, I don’t think. It’s become such a huge factor in my life these last few years, and I couldn’t be more thankful :> it’s honestly a blessing to not be bombarded by bad vibes. I originally hoped to help Avenger’s bad vibes subside, if even for a while, but I don’t want to look like that person who tries to change others. That’s a terrible thing to do, and the one thing I want Avenger to be with me is sincere. I don’t want him to be afraid to be open; be himself. I don’t know if me turning red as a tomato when he spoke French that one time helped, though… oops.  
  
Speaking of the Count, we went to Mal-Wart with Bryn and her Servant today! I missed window-shopping, and I think we were there for hours while I perused every aisle. Okay, maybe not every aisle, but enough aisles! I was able to find some clothes for him that he seemed to gravitate towards, and I definitely saved money by shopping there instead of Men’s Wearhouse or something of that nature. He grabbed a white button-down long-sleeve polo, a black satin(?) vest, a red tie, black cotton dress pants, and a new black fedora to compensate for his usual one. He wanted to get matching black leather dress shoes, but we couldn’t find any that fit him. I’m still surprised that I could afford all of this! Thank goodness we went to Mal-Wart :”) saving my wallet one day at a time.  
  
Shopping was able to get my mind off of the ominous email I received from my Heroes and Villains professor. He was the one who canceled his class. I have no idea why he would want to talk to me, of all people. I remember talking to him after class about the place where I eventually performed my summoning ritual, but I didn’t think he put that much thought into me. Was it because I denied his idea that chaotic evil Servants were bad? I didn’t think he could read my expressions from all the way down there, but if he could, that would definitely be something he might want to talk to me about. Wouldn’t he have addressed the issue sooner if that was the case? Like, when he still held class? That’s just me, though. He’s a doctor, so his judgment is held in a higher regard to mine, I would think. Just because he’s an authoritative figure doesn’t mean his word is absolute truth!  
  
Whatever he wants to talk to me about, I’ll go. I’ll admit I’m terrified because he was a really intimidating professor. I’ve never seen a man so passionate about damning Heroic Spirits to the degree that he did. He really struck fear into us about chaotic and evil Servants. I’m going to prove him wrong; I already decided that, and I already have my Servant to do so. Why am I still hesitant around the Count? It’s not Doctor Manigault’s fault. I don’t want my Servant to think badly of me, so I’m trying ways of- wait. It sounds like he’s commanding _me_ instead of the other way around. I don’t want to command him! I keep saying that, and I don’t know if my point is getting across! I’m not a bad person! I’m a good noodle!!!  
  
Is that toxic behavior? One of my friends from back home was texting me the other day and told me that my positivity was toxic and condescending and excessive. I apologized, of course, but I’m trying to get my mind off of it so I don’t get stuck in emotional gunk. As I’m writing this, Count is glaring up at me from behind his copy of _The Three Musketeers_ that I bought for him at Mal-Wart. The irony is that it’s written by Alexandre Dumas, who’s also the author of _The Count of Monte Cristo_. Avenger is taking a liking to the book, and hasn’t put it down yet! I’m so happy that he likes it <3 Now that I know he likes books, I can ask my mom to possibly send me some of her books once she’s done reading them so he can read them. I don’t think he’ll like young adult fantasy novels about werewolves, though. Maybe I’ll stick with classics like _Wuthering Height_ s. Heathcliff is my favorite character in that book, and I have never admitted it to anyone. He’s such a stark contrast from my moral code that the way he operates is like… it’s so hard to explain! I just like his character a lot, and I think the Count might too! They’re both vengeance-driven men, after all.  
  
Well, I think I’m going to go to sleep now. I’m glad that I got the chance to spend the day with Bryn, Lancer, and Avenger! Well, we'll be spending more time together in the days to come if the Holy Grail War has really begun. All I have to worry about now, aside from the war, is the meeting with Doctor Manigault. Wish me luck!  
  
-Robin


	23. Manigault Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> sorry this update took so long to come out!! i was kind of in a dry spell and not confident about my writing, but i have to try to remember that i write for myself!! and no one else will write the way i do! so yeah, i just had to give myself a pep talk :'> i hope you enjoy this chapter!!!

It was the day that Miss Robin Fea, one of the eight individuals to be chosen as a Master for the Holy Grail War, was going to meet Doctor Maxime Manigault in his office at 4 o’clock. This was the most terrifying thing she had done since that Servant burst through the ceiling, which has since been repaired! Magic was so convenient! Right now, it was technically “school hours”, so she had to wear her uniform, much to her dismay. The shirt made her look four times as big and the skirt was alright, but the best part was being able to wear her pastel pink cardigan that successfully hid her abominable body shape. She-  
  
“Keep walking. Any slower, and I will arrive to the meeting before you.”  
  
The Count snapped; not bothering to direct his eyes away from what was in front of him. Whenever she went on a pessimistic tangent in her head or even in her diary, she always noticed her Servant calling her out on it and redirecting her. And here she was thinking she was doing a good job at concealing and not feeling! … At least externally. The brunette readjusted her ita bag on her shoulders and pouted quietly; mumbling to herself.  
  
“You can read me like an open book…”  
  
“Your self-doubt is potent. I can sense it from the spiritual plane.”  
  
Wait, really?! She was clearly alerted by his statement, as shown by the way she stiffened as she walked along. Was her self-doubt that bad? She had to be happy always! She had to- … never mind. She decided not to complain any further. The main thing she had to worry about right now was the meeting with her Heroes and Villains professor. All of her anxiety must have evolved from this meeting that hadn’t even happened yet. Was there a bachelor for the art of over-thinking? Thankfully, the avenger tagged along as he did on occasion, but had been moreso since their Mal-Wart expedition. What was up with that? She would have to ask him about it later.  
  
When she approached the door to Doctor Manigault’s office, she checked the time on her phone: 3:57 pm. Oh. She was late! Usually, she would be at least fifteen minutes early! She really must have been walking slowly. Her professor wouldn’t be too irate, would he? It was just three minutes, right? It wasn’t 4 o’clock yet! She had time! Okay, take deep breaths and open- wait! Don’t just open the door! You have to knock! Steady, now… knock- hold on, put your phone in your pocket. Okay, now you don’t look like a delinquent and won’t make a negative impression of being a typical degenerate millennial. Breathe, Robin. You got this. It’s just a meeting; it’s probably about how great of a student you were in his class! Yeah! That’s what it was usually about with other professors! Or maybe an amazing internship offer! With him? Hmm… she would have to thi-  
  
“Knock on the door, Master.”  
  
Her Servant had visually disappeared from her side, but was clearly still here with her. How could she have heard him otherwise? She sighed and apologized under her breath before knocking on the door gently. A voice came from inside instructing her to enter, to which she did hesitantly. Closing the door behind her slowly enough so that it did not cause a thundering bang, she met Doctor Manigault in the eyes as he sat in his leather seat.  
  
“Good afternoon, Miss Fea. Please, take a seat.”  
  
He beckoned. His voice made her uneasy. The way he sat as if scheming something; his hands folded and certificates hanging on the wall behind him and the general eerie atmosphere of this office was enough to scare her into submission. Sitting down across from his desk, Robin squirmed out of the straps to her ita bag and rested it comfortably in her lap; pins and buttons facing forward. His sharp green eyes gazed down at said bag and grinned darkly.  
  
“Are you fond of Ciao Cat?”  
  
“O-Oh!! Yes… Yes, sir.”  
  
She stuttered and brushed some of her wavy hair behind her ear. Her Ciao Cat merchandise was her prized possession, and showing it off in this ita bag was just one of the ways she could incorporate her merch with her every day attire. At least the conversation began with something to break the ice. Doctor Manigault kept his silence but let his eyes wander to examine the portly girl in front of him. Her lips shimmered in the minuscule amount of light let into the room from beyond the blinds, and she had a habit of not making eye contact with him. Was she afraid, perchance? Good. She had every right to be. Her gloved hands fiddled with the keychains on her bag, and he, noticing this, brought it to her attention.  
  
“You don’t need to wear gloves in here. I’ve made sure to keep my office warm during this chilly season.”  
  
Robin had almost forgotten she had them on, and it was only to hide her Command Seals. There was no way she was just going to take them off and have him see the definitive mark of a Master! She had to think of an excuse! Pulling her hands away from her lilac bag, she shook her head lightly, as if too shy to give a direct refusal to his offer.  
  
“I-I’m sorry, it’s just that I… I have a bad rash on my hands. I’d prefer to keep my gloves on so they don’t get worse. I… I hope you understand.”  
  
Her voice was almost brought to a complete whimper, but thankfully, he made out what she said. He already had plans to toy with her, but even by acting natural, he was distilling so much fear into her… this was going to be fun for him, yes! He chuckled and went to pull something up on his computer; watching her eyes dart about the room in the process. The girl seemed fascinated by his array of books. Of course, those books were variants of tales spread across the world having survived the tests of time. A leather-bound copy of _The Count of Monte Cristo_ stood out from the rest; its gold trimming glistening in the afternoon glow.  
  
“You read that book for French Literature class, correct? It is a famous book here in France. Is it the same in America?”  
  
Manigault spoke up. The professor was genuinely curious about that despite his years in the field of literature, folklore, and, inevitably, the study of heroes and villains in accordance with Servants. How similar were the Servant variants of certain characters or historical figures to their living counterpart? Obviously, not every Servant _lived_ in the sense that human beings walk this Earth, but, in fiction, the line between reality and fantasy was slim. Take Sherlock Holmes, for example. Is there evidence that he walked the same Earth Robin Fea and her dear friend, Bryn, walk on today? Are the books written by Sir Doyle real accounts of a man named Holmes in the style of a biography by Watson? This was what being a Heroes and Villains professor entailed, and it was Manigault’s personal goal to find the strongest man who once walked this Earth or came into being by the power of human imagination.

Arthur Pendragon was always said to be that man, but Manigault claimed to have found someone even stronger than he. A king, a Pharaoh, a god. Gilgamesh was half mortal, but this Pharaoh was convinced of his own divinity; even going so far as to inevitably warp his own Spirit Origin in death to become a true sun god. That phenomena… to make oneself into their own image after death, all thanks to the unlimited power of the Holy Grail. With the grail, Manigault _himself_ could become a god! He could control whatever he wanted to control. He could strip power from the powerful and crush the lowly beneath him. The only thing standing in the way of his goal was this sheepish, pitiful excuse of a supposed Master sitting in front of him.  
  
“Y-Yes, it is. It’s one of my favorite books, actually. My friend told me she read it in high school, and she’s from America, so I would… only assume it’s just as popular there as it is here.”  
  
She squirmed in her seat awkwardly as if somehow detecting his stares as he let her sit in suspense. Robin Fea was in the way of his Grail. He was _determined_ to get the Grail, and as headstrong as a certain Pharaoh in that regard. There was no way a Fea wouldn’t be chosen by fate itself. The elder sister of last war’s victor, a stark contrast from the easy-going boy who called her “sister”. Manigault would not let her hands anywhere near his precious Grail that he was obviously worthy of in every way. He had been studying and preparing for this moment longer than she had even lived. And, according to her records, she had only been studying for less than a decade. Ha! What a joke! Why even worry? He wasn’t worried. He was determined to make her suffer and derail her from her course towards victory. It was better to get the most likely victor out before wasting energy on anyone else.  
  
“I see. Miss Fea, I ask you this: Are you a Master in this upcoming Holy Grail War?”  
  
Her horror-stricken expression pleased him, but he hid his devious grin behind his clasped hands as he rested his elbows on his desk. The brunette shook her head furiously, but soon slowed down before coming to a halt. Was denying being a Master bad mojo? Robin gulped before responding to his abrupt question.  
  
“N…No… Why do you ask?”  
  
“A Fea like you has priority choosing in the eyes of the Holy Grail. Almost like a university, no? Universities choose the best students; that is their main priority. That is who you are in this grand scheme of things. Or so I would think, considering last war’s victor is your relative. Are you, by any chance, _lying_ to me?”  
  
His voice lowered to a menacing drawl, and she could feel sweat running down her face. At this rate, he was bound to crack down on her, and her heart was beating so fast that she thought she might faint. Doctor Manigault was scary as it was, but this was making her fear worse! She would never lie! She would just divert from the truth only to protect herself! She promised! A whimper burned at the back of her throat, but she managed to swallow it down.  
  
“I…,”  
  
Oh, come on! You had to deny it faster than that! Was this what was so urgent to him? Was this the reason behind the email? Just to find out if she was a Master or not? She would’ve never guessed this; she had no way to prepare herself for this moment! What could she do, what could she do?! Her fear and anxiety, unbeknownst to her, contributed to the sudden darkening of the room. She was accidentally feeding the Count with this outburst of fear, sorrow, and grief that his vengeance was practically boiling over; unable to contain itself normally. Thankfully, Manigault didn’t bring it up, which meant it wasn’t as noticeable as Robin thought it was. Doctor Manigault must have purposefully dimmed the lights, she assumed.  
  
“I am… _not_.”  
  
It hurt so much to lie so blatantly like that, especially with how hard it was to speak out that negation. Her heart felt pierced with regret, and especially fear when she noticed Manigault ease back in his chair and sigh. Did he see through her obviously-terrible lie? What was going to come next?! Her mind was racing too fast to the point where she had to close her eyes for a moment despite the growing darkness. Manigault was going to let her play this game. He was enjoying seeing her try so hard to hide. The fact of being a Master was supposed to be easy, but her heart was innocent, that any attempt at lying brought her so much agony. Was innocence the right word for her? He would find out in due time; this certainly wasn’t going to be their last meeting.  
  
“Very well. Forgive me, then, for calling you here. You are free to go.”  
  
_Oh, thank GOD._ Robin could finally bolt out of there! She thanked him and muttered an apology for wasting his time before slinging her ita bag over her shoulder with a clattering jingle before making her way to the door. She was finally free! She could go to her room and sleep and-  
  
“Stop her.”  
  
Manigault mouthed to his Servant, who blocked the door with his staff; hitting the wood loudly and causing her to jump back. She traced up the tanned arm that held the golden weapon to meet the man who burst through the ceiling in French Literature class. He gave a brief grin before turning to look at his Master for further instructions. Following his golden eyes, the brunette noticed the Heroes and Villains professor standing behind his desk; staring daggers into her. She let out a short peep and tensed up like a frightened baby goat.  
  
“Professor…?”  
  
“That’s me.”  
  
“W-What are you-”  
  
With a swift move, the Servant moved himself in front of the door and directed his staff at her left hand. What was this strange burning sensation in her hand?! She whipped her hand away and looked down at her gloved hand in worry. What did he-  
  
“He wants to see what rests beneath your glove. You can lie to him if you would like, as you so obviously did. Masters can sense other Masters and Servants with ease, you know. We both know what you are. It is futile to hide from the Sun King!”  
  
Sun King…? Was he Apollo?! Guessing True Names was important, because once you know a Servant’s True Name, you knew everything there was to know about said Servant. That’s why revealing one’s True Name to their Master was so important! You couldn’t use a Servant’s Noble Phantasm without it! No, what was more important were the stares being fired at her from all directions. She _knew_ the funny feeling in her gut meant something! She just didn’t know what! Okay, it wasn’t exactly in her gut, but you get the idea. Her hand still tingled from the Servant pointing at it with his gold and blue staff, if it was really even a staff, and she turned back to look at the door. The Servant shook its head, as if to tell her “you aren’t leaving yet”. What in the world was she supposed to do now?! Manigault huffed.  
  
“The room is significantly darker than when you first came, Miss Fea.”  
  
“It’s a Servant’s doing. Its power is rapidly increasing.”  
  
The Servant replied. The professor finally showed his devilish smirk and grinned to himself. Oh my~ A Servant who can perhaps control the dark? An Assassin, most likely, or a diverging tactic made by a Caster. Wait, weren’t these classes already spotted? None of them were said to have been able to control the atmosphere like this. Robin could feel heat running through her Magic Circuits. Something was definitely happening, but she couldn’t see her Servant!  
  
“Perhaps it needs a bit more coercing in order for it to come out. Hm… I see you came prepared, Miss Fea. You have already done significant training with whom you summoned. A job well done. Terminate her, Rider.”  
  
_Terminate?!_ Robin screamed as not only did she get pulled back by Rider’s staff around her neck, but Avenger’s silhouette was being formed by the darkness of the room being pulled into him. A burst of vengeance sent the life-threatening staff away from around his Master’s neck and she swiftly ran to her Servant’s side as if compelled to by the wisps of poisonous flame. Manigault wasn’t smiling anymore. _He_ was the one with a look of terror on his face. What… who… _how_?! How did she summon that _thing_?! He had severely underestimate her! No, he completely misunderstood her! This girl was nowhere near innocent! What _was_ she?! A Servant of this calibur should have torn her Magic Circuits apart! This couldn’t be possible, this…  
  
“What have you done…?”  
  
He breathed as he took small defensive steps back as the Count loomed towards him like a ghost in the shadows. Rider retrieved his staff and went to attack, but was told to hold back by a simple hand gesture. He pouted quietly, but did as his Master told him. From the shadows, Manigault could feel something breathing down his neck despite nothing being there. A red flame ignited in the air around the Count’s eye as the only source of light in the room.

Shadows had climbed up the walls like ivy to keep out any light whatsoever; tiny sparks of vengeance seeping out from underneath the door only to muffle any noise that may come out from within this claustrophobic cell of an office. Robin stood her ground; confidence weaning back into her heart like a worm inching through the dirt. She had her hand on her ita bag strap and watched, albeit awkwardly, as her Heroes and Villains professor cowered in front of her and her Servant… mostly her Servant.  
  
“This energy… this hatred, this fury… you have damned yourself to hell.”  
  
Manigault finished, and she shook her head defiantly. She had done nothing wrong, she knew that. She knew she summoned a Servant in accordance with what she wanted and what she wanted to prove to this man in particular: that chaotic, evil, or chaotic-evil Servants are not as terrible as he made them out to be. Nothing had gone wrong during her ritual and, if anything, she already felt such a close connection to the Count. That was another story for another day, and speaking of their connection, she would have to ask him how in the world he got so powerful out of nowhere. It was as if he was getting stronger and stronger by the second before, but now, it seemed to even out; still leaving him in such a powerful state that the entire room was cloaked with his manifested pain.  
  
“I haven’t done that. I wanted to prove something to you, Doctor Manigault. I wanted to prove to you that chaotic and evil Servants are not the bane of existence and should not be damned; they should be understood. We should strive to understand them and help them, if that may be the case. Some may not be able to be helped, but I refuse to believe that until I’ve done and tried everything I’m capable of.”  
  
Robin’s burst of bravery actually impressed her and she smiled to herself, but Manigault had a different approach. He let out a fit of laughter as if amused by her statement.  
  
“You have no idea what your Servant is capable of, Miss Fea. It will kill you. It will eat your soul, your heart, your mind, until there is nothing left of you but a husk. You are so indeterminately ignorant, you frighten me to an extent. You are not the innocent, pure-hearted girl you come across as, are you? Hah… I look forward to fighting you at our full strength.”  
  
That was supposed to be his dismissal, but Avenger wasn’t going to let the professor off the hook so easily. Manigault _frightened_ his Master, _threatened_ his Master… nearly made her _cry_ on more than one occasion. This man was the real villain, and the Count could feel that in his wretched spirit. He approached the once-laughing man, who was now backed up against the wall completely as if trying to seep through the wall to avoid the Count, but to no avail. Although the room was warm, Manigault’s panicked breaths came out like puffs in the frigid winter air. Impossible!  
  
“ _Hell is too warm of a place for you_.”  
  
The Count growled; getting a definitive gasp from the man. It knew French! Robin walked up behind him, about to tell him that they should go, before Avenger grasped her arm and teleported himself and his Master to her humble dorm. The shadows and vengeance sucked into the void created by his speed like a black hole, only to leave the rest of the room spotless as if nothing had happened. Rider scowled to himself. He could have done something! Anything! His light would have expelled the monster! As he was walking back to Manigault, he tripped over a book that just so happened to fall from the shelf. Picking it up, he read the name aloud.  
  
“One of your books fell. _The Count of Monte Cristo_.”  
  
As he was putting it back, Manigault stopped him abruptly. Sitting back down in his chair, he had to crack down on who or what exactly Robin Fea summoned. He was given no Class identity and no True Name… Robin was smart not to bring them up. He really did underestimate her, even as one of his own students.  
  
“Give me the book. My research starts here.”


	24. Medicine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: LOTS of MEDICINE talk and talk about DEPRESSION!!!! if you dont feel comfortable with confrontations about mental health, please either skip this chapter or read at your own discretion! if you do choose to read despite discomfort, know that i believe in you and you got this <3 sorry if this chapter is a little weird i just really wanted to get my feelings out about edmond bc i love him so much...... if this is ooc, im really sorry kszhfkj i needed to get this out of my system >o<
> 
> i guess this is like a mini chapter?? idk its more of like. an explanation for some things before this point :o i honestly cant remember how long my normal chapters are LMAO

The Count and his Master swiftly landed in her dorm; papers swirling through the air ravenously and the lights flickering as if stimulated by the outburst of speed. Robin had to catch her breath; her hand on her heart as she measured her breathing to make sure it was steady. He watched her calm herself for a moment, before sitting himself down in her desk chair with one leg over the other. Once she recollected herself, she quickly went to pick up the loose sheets of paper that managed to slip out of her notebooks or binders. The books on her desk were affected as well; opened to random highlighted pages. Ah. The books were tampered with… the avenger politely closed the textbooks before folding his arms and bowing his head. As his Master attempted to pick up the papers that managed to escape, she piled them on her desk neatly before addressing him.  
  
“Count…,”  
  
Cleaning was important, but everything that just happened with Doctor Manigault had priorities over it all. Taking in a shaky inhale, she dusted off her cardigan before removing her gloves and placing them on top of the papers as if to keep them from going anywhere. The Count made no attempts to meet her worried eyes.  
  
“This means I have to fight my professor. I…”  
  
“Hush.”  
  
He cut her off. Startled by his abrupt attempt to silence her, she pouted to herself before rebuking him. Did he not want to talk about it? She understood that; she didn’t really want to think about it either, but she had to eventually, right? It wasn’t healthy to push problems away when they came, but Robin had built up a terrible habit of doing that as a coping mechanism. If she didn’t worry about it, she wouldn’t be sad, right? She could wait to focus on it some other time… which never came to pass. Count closed his eyes and sighed as Robin walked around his chair to face him.  
  
“Don’t waste your energy.”  
  
“But I’m… not? At least I don’t think I am… am I?”  
  
The brunette rambled aloud. She was just being her normal, anxious self! Staring down at him like this didn’t make her feel any better, so she crouched down to look up at him instead. He opened one eye to peek at her before closing it immediately and huffing; the faintest tint of red on his cheeks. Why did she have to sit like a sad puppy? He simply told her to hush…  
  
“You don’t realize it… that doesn’t surprise me. Do you remember?,”  
  
He opened his glowing yellow eyes to gaze down at her hazel ones. Every time she looked into his eyes, she always found herself lost in them. They were so fascinating… yellow irises with cross-shaped pupils that dilated in the light into tiny little addition signs that never failed to make her smile. At times like these, when the lights were off and the only source of light came from the sun shining in through the window, his pupils expanded to adjust to the darker lighting; the cross shape becoming more noticeable. He cleared his throat as if to get her attention back on track. Crap, he heard all that! She shook her head as if to snap herself out of it and apologized profusely.  
  
“I cannot feel or reciprocate love, Master. I will never understand it. I am a vengeful demon fueled by hatred and vengeance. Not even you can change that.”  
  
Robin’s heart sank. He was right, and she knew that. She summoned him, the incarnation of vengeance in the form of an Avenger-Class Servant. Even if he couldn’t feel love, maybe she could be the one to make him feel it again. The familiar warmth of a loved one, of someone important, of a companion. She could feel him rebuking her in her heart and bowed her head shamefully.  
  
“I know. And I know what you were referring to earlier. The dream…”  
  
“It wasn’t much of a dream as it was a confrontation in the spiritual plane. That plane, however, was your spirit. You are faltering, and it is affecting your mana distribution, as if you’ve never learned how to control it. I will tell you one thing: as an Avenger, my spirit will not rest until I have my revenge. With that same drive, I thrive from your negative emotions. Perhaps that will explain the form I took in Professor Manigault’s office.”  
  
She brought her head back up to look at him in shock. That was definitely new, and definitely not anything anyone had ever recorded about Avengers before. Since no one had ever summoned one before, the poor brunette had to learn this on her own. It seemed as if the Count were guiding her, though, which she was thankful for. Now that she thought about it, she was wondering why he had looked like an ominous specter back there, and why it felt like a burst of lava running through her body when he manifested. She twiddled with her fingers nervously as she pondered and put the pieces of the puzzle together on her own.  
  
“So… whenever I’m sad or anxious or just… down in the dumps, you gain magical energy?”  
  
The Count nodded,  
  
“Yes. And because you can’t seem to stop degrading yourself, that only leads to wherever you think it does.”  
  
Him being more powerful. Got it. She stood up from where she was squatting and jumped onto her bed; letting her feet dangle off the side and her hands rest comfortably in her lap. Robin could tell he was trying to get at something, but she was too anxious to talk… okay, more like too lazy. It seemed like he had more things to say anyway. Before he turned the desk chair to face her, he opened up her desk drawer and slipped his hand inside while she was preoccupied with her phone. The rattling of pellets in plastic immediately got her attention and she let out a startled gasp.  
  
“Count-!”  
  
“These must not be working effectively.”  
  
He held the orange pill bottle in his gloved hands and examined the label. These were anti-depressants, and she seemed very defensive about them. Her chest tightened and she pushed herself off of the bed to nab them from him, but to no avail; he vanished from the seat and on her bed. She whipped around to get him, again and again until she gave up and he had enough time to notice the refill date and date it was prescribed. The refill date had already passed and there were several pills still in the bottle. Robin, slouched over in shame, sat herself on her chair and muttered an apology that went undetected by the Count.  
  
“You haven’t been taking these every day. Does that explain your shift in emotions?”  
  
She shot upright and let out another startled gasp. She pursed her lips as her bottom lip began to quiver and she hung her head to hide her face. She hadn’t been taking them every day only because she thought she was getting better, despite her doctor telling her not to skip a single day no matter how she felt. She was anxious all the time, yes, but-!!  
  
“That medication isn’t for that! It’s for…!”  
  
Oh gosh, she couldn’t back down now, certainly not with his eyes fixated on her! She was stiff, but loosened up as she sat back in her chair and sighed. There was no use hiding the truth anymore, especially if he already knew it. Was the Count waiting for her to admit it herself?  
  
“I… I wasn’t always like this, Count. I used to be really bad… and you kinda know that already from that encounter in the, uh… spiritual plane of my soul. The medicine is to help cut the edge off, if that makes sense. Without it, I would be a completely different “Robin” from the one you know!”  
  
The brunette managed a grin which soon turned into a faint sob,  
  
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you myself, I never like talking about it. I want to be happy, you know? And this might be a stretch, but maybe we aren’t as different as we seem,”  
  
She gave her Servant a warm smile,  
  
“And I… I strive to show everyone that, no matter how sad or how hurt you’ve been, there is always light in life. Always. I firmly believe that now. I really do, and… even if you say you don’t feel love, I still care for you. It’s the little things in life that always end up making the biggest impacts.”  
  
By this point, Count was staring at her with his jaw slightly agape, and his Master was here wiping her eyes. He felt no compassion, no love; only interest in her determination to show him the light. She reminded him of the Abbe… but also reminded him of Her. The brightest lights in his life; one obviously more bright than the other enough to be his betrothed. He gave a brief grin.  
  
“I never said we were different. Whether that should be of any concern to you or not is yours to judge.”  
  
Robin guffawed and stood up from her chair to sit next to her Servant, who instinctively scooted away. His flames might poison her if she were to touch them. She had to be prepared. The girl didn’t seem too worried; reaching out her hand and beckoning him to return her medicine. He placed the puny bottle in her hand; a wisp of vengeance licking her palm. She squirmed at the foreign feeling, but gave a momentary smile. It just felt like a worm crawled on her hand, and she loved holding worms! She used the back of her hand to wipe away some of her tears.  
  
“I’m sorry, Count… I’m sorry I’m… I dunno…”  
  
At this point, she just needed a shoulder to lean on. Usually, that was Bryn’s shoulder, but she wasn’t here right now, and Robin just wanted some time with the Count. What was she supposed to do with her feelings? Had they come on too fast? Maybe she needed a nap… yeah…  
  
“Gh-!!”  
  
The Count tensed as his Master rested her head on his shoulder. What were all these foreign feelings?! He wanted to make them stop, but the only way to make them stop was to retaliate with violence, and Robin was literally touching him! Small wisps of poisonous flame ran through her hair without him realizing it… until she gave a gentle, dreamy sigh. Before any of them knew it, Robin’s head was resting on nothing, and the Count was gone. She sat up and looked around for a bit before hopping out of bed to put her pill bottle back in her drawer and retrieve her diary and pen from the window sill. When she sat on her bed longways, she couldn’t help but notice the dark shadow on the floor that had small sparks of dark matter shooting out of it like tiny hairs. Why did she find that so endearing? This journal entry was going to be so eventful.


End file.
